In the Dark
by PsychedelicFlame
Summary: Abandoned by her parents in an accident that left her blind, Mio struggles to find her place in the world.  When she is recruited by Reborn as a member of Tsuna's family, what will happen?  Will she finally find the family she wanted?  I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to the Family

"We have two new transfer students. Gokudera Hayato, who was studying overseas in Italy. And Kiyomizu Mio, who transferred from a school in a different part of Japan."

The girls in the class started giggling over Gokudera, while the boys sized the girl up and pretended to not care.

"Please help them both, especially uhh Kiyomizu-san, who is actually, well she's-"

"I'm blind" the girl spoke up bluntly. Her voice was soft but bitter. The class was stunned into silence. They looked at her again. Of about 5'4", the girl was about average height. She had brown hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. Her bangs covered her eyes so they couldn't see what color they were. She was wearing the student uniform but then they realized that her feet were bare. As if to answer the unspoken question, she spoke again, "I can 'see' more clearly without shoes so I've been given permission to not wear them."

She turned to where the teacher was standing and asked, "Are there assigned seats sir?"

The teacher spluttered and pointed out their seats but Gokudera ignored him and started walking towards another student. He shoved the desk angrily and then stalked off to his seat. Mio made her way to her seat without much trouble, able to avoid the other students with the images she was getting from the vibrations. She sat silently at her desk and listened to what was going on around her.

The bell rang and the sound and vibrations of students in a hurry to leave filled the room. Mio slowly stood up to leave but the teacher stopped her, "Ah Kiyomizu-san. Since you and Gokudera-san are both new, you two are also in the same classes. So Gokudera-san, please take care of her and help her around."

The boy grunted and started walking out of the room. Mio grabbed the bottom of Gokudera's shirt to make sure she wouldn't lose him in the hallways. He huffed but didn't complain. Now that she was this close to the boy, she realized that there was no way she would be able to lose him or mix him up with anyone else in the school. He smelled distinctly of tobacco and smoke. His shirt's material was soft. As she was preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn't notice when he stopped and walked straight into him.

"Oof" she caught herself before she could fall. Something was odd with how he had felt when she had fallen against him. She patted his shirt again. There was something odd. Her fingers crept under his shirt to see what it was, but before she could, he had jumped back. "Oi woman, what the hell are you doing?"

"Ah" she feigned innocence, "Sorry, I fell."

The boy stared at her suspiciously, and then grunted, "I need to take care of some business. You can make it to the class on your own, can't you? Don't follow me around everywhere."

He immediately started walking away as quickly as he could. Mio frowned but decided to follow him anyways, curious about what he needed to do. She followed his smell and found herself outside. Although she couldn't see what was happening, she could hear everything perfectly clearly. "If a pinprick like you becomes the Tenth gen, the Vongola family is finished."

What was the Vongola family? "How do you know about the family?" another voice gasped. She thought for a moment. Ah! It had to be that Tuna something, the no-good kid from her first class. She would recognize his high-pitched voice anywhere.

"I refuse to accept it. I'm the one who's fit to be the Tenth!"

"Wha?" the boy shrieked, "What're you saying all of a sudden? Wha…what am I supposed to do about that…?"

"I've been watching you since the volleyball tournament, but it's a waste of time to further evaluate a weakling like you. You're a nuisance. Die right here."

"Ah! Tsunayoshi!" Mio shouted, remembering his name.

The two boys whirled around to see her standing there, smiling to herself. "Oi you stupid woman, what are you doing here? I told you to not follow me!" Gokudera yelled.

"Oops, did I give myself away?" Mio laughed nervously, "Anyways, do you two know each other or something? What is the Vongola family?"

Tsuna stammered, "Uh no I don't, I mean we don't know each other! And I don't know anything about any Vongola family!"

Gokudera tsk-ed and then grabbed the girl, pulling her behind him. "Cover your ears woman." He lit two sticks of dynamite and sent them flying at Tsuna who shrieked.

A bullet zoomed by and put out the dynamite, to which Gokudera growled.

"Ciaossu" a squeaky voice called, "You came earlier than I expected, Gokudera Hayato."

"Ehh? You know each other?"

"Yeah, he's a member of the family that I called over from Italy."

"So this guy is in the mafia?" Tsuna yelped.

"Uh Tsunayoshi-san, what do you mean mafia? Who is that new person? What are you guys all talking about?"

Reborn pulled the front of his fedora down, "It seems an outsider has heard everything. Don't worry Tsuna. I'll take care of her in a second."

"What? No! You can't just kill innocent people like that Reborn!"

Mio discreetly removed a stick of dynamite from inside Gokudera's shirt and quickly hid it. Reborn raised his gun at the girl, "Well then, let's see what she would use her dying will for. Maybe you can gain a family member Tsuna."

He fired and at the same instant, Mio threw herself out of the way of the bullet's path. She dove behind Gokudera, using him as a meat shield. "I don't know what I've done but shooting people you've just met isn't very civilized!" she shouted.

Reborn lowered his gun, "Oh? She avoided my shot. That takes some skill. She has potential." He looked at Tsuna, "Oi, no good Tsuna, make her into a family member or else."

Tsuna shrieked again, not wanting to involve his classmates in the mafia. "So you're the Ninth's highly trusted assassin" Gokudera said, "You're not kidding about me becoming a candidate as the successor if I kill Sawada right?"

"What…what are you talkin…" Tsuna asked.

"Yeah, that's right. Well, let's continue the killing."

"Killing me…what are you talking about, you're joking right?"

"I'm serious" the baby replied.

"What…no way, you're betraying me? Reborn! You mean everything until now was a lie?"

Reborn pointed his gun at him, "That's wrong. I'm telling you to fight."

Mio could hear him backing away and then running, but Gokudera intercepted him. "It's said that Gokudera Hayato is a human explosive device that conceals dynamite all over his body. His other name is Smoking Bomb Hayato."

So it was dynamite. Mio clutched the weapon she had taken firmly. She had never imagined to ever come so close to something so destructive again.

The next couple of moments were somewhat unclear for Mio who could only tell that Gokudera was throwing dynamite like crazy at Tsuna who was also avoiding as hard as he could. That much she could understand. It was the part where there suddenly came the sound of a gunshot and Tsuna suddenly was yelling crazily that confused her. Nevertheless, a little while later, the sounds stopped. Gokudera dropped to the ground and yelled, "I was mistaken! You're the one who's fit to be the boss! Tenth! I'll follow you! Command me to do anything!"

"Having the loser serve under the winner is a family rule" Reborn said, walking towards them.

"Umm, could someone explain what's going on?" Mio asked, confused.

"Kiyomizu Mio. You are now required to serve under Tsuna, who is the future boss of the Vongola Family, the biggest and most powerful family in the Italian mafia."

As she was briefed, Gokudera was conveying his deep feelings of loyalty to Tsuna. They were just wrapping things up when a couple of delinquent seniors found them.

"Oh no no, these guys are cutting class."

"This requires some punishment. You're only allowed to cut starting senior year."

"How many front teeth do you want broken?"

Reborn pointed at them, "Kiyomizu Mio, go take care of them. If you can't, you'll die."

Gokudera stalked forward, "Leave it to me. I'll get rid of them."

Reborn stopped him however. "Watch her."

Mio was on the ground, feeling around for something. "Oi oi, what's this girl doing?"

"Ah, I heard there was a blind girl that transferred to our school."

"She's pretty cute right? Gives off that helpless feel."

"How about you join us cutie?" the delinquents moved closer and closer to her as they spoke. Evidently, Mio had found what she was looking for however. A moment later, a lit stick of dynamite was in her hands. She threw it at the delinquents who started passing it around like a hot potato, panicking in the moment. She took two steps back and then threw herself to the ground. The dynamite exploded and the delinquents were taken care of. Tsuna gaped at the damage the girl had caused, "Eh…Kiyomizu-san…?"

The girl had a dark look on her face, "Teach those assholes to underestimate me just because I can't see." She waved her fist angrily and shouted, "I could take you down even on my worst days!"

She smiled at Tsuna, "It was just finding a way to get the dynamite lit. I'll have to remember to keep a lighter with me. This Vongola family sounds interesting. Let me join too?"

Reborn nodded approvingly, "Ah."

Unsure of what to do, Mio kneeled in front of Tsuna formally. Driven by an unnatural desire to be part of this weird family, she said what came to mind first, "I hope you'll accept me then, Tenth."

"Ah, no. Kiyomizu-san, you don't have to kneel! Uh…can't we just be friends?"

He missed the hurt look that flashed across her face for a moment; she stood up slowly. "If that's what the Tenth wants."

"Who would want me in their family?" the girl thought to herself mockingly.

* * *

><p>"Reborn you can't be serious, making them into my family members? They're just classmates; why should they be involved in the mafia!"<p>

"No good Tsuna, they're already involved whether you like it or not" Reborn replied calmly. He then launched himself at Tsuna's head, successfully knocking the boy out. "Kiyomizu Mio. It seems she's not as innocent as everyone thought."

* * *

><p>Mio was in her small apartment, making dinner for herself when someone rang the doorbell. She put down the knife and bell pepper she was cutting and called, "Coming!" Quickly wiping her hands, she made her way to the door.<p>

An overwhelming smell of tobacco and body odor permeated her nose as soon as she opened the door. "Um…excuse me, can I help you?"

"Kiyomizu Mio?" a rough voice growled.

"Yes, that's me. Do you need something?"

"Yeah, why don't you tell us where your parents are? I know you know." Another voice snickered.

Mio's face went blank and she took a subtle step backwards. "I'm sorry; they left me 5 years ago. I haven't heard from them since."

"Oi, oi, a thirteen year old blind girl living by yourself? You must think we're stupid or something, huh?"

"No way that's possible!"

She repeated her statement, "I don't know where my parents are. Please leave now."

She tried to close the door but one of the men's foot was blocking it. "You don't mind if we take a look in your house do you? If your parents really aren't there."

"I don't see why I should have to let perfect strangers into my house! I don't know where my parents went! They left me to fend for myself!" she fumed.

The two men continued trying to push their way into her house and she growled in anger. These assholes, thinking they could take advantage of her just because she was blind. This time, she might not have any dynamite on her, but there were still plenty of things she could use in her house. She grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall and pointed it at the two men. "Get out. My parents are not here. Go look for them somewhere else. I have nothing to do with that anymore."

They laughed and one of the men shifted as if to grab the broom. She twirled it so that the end was facing him and jabbed it viciously into his stomach. He groaned in pain, but the other man responded immediately by grabbing the end of the broom and tugging it away from her. She grabbed the dustpan and whacked him in the face with it, and then took off out of the apartment. They shouted angrily behind her and gave chase.

Mio was running blindly, almost completely unaware of where she was going. A rustle of plastic ahead of her caused her to swerve, but she hadn't realized just how close she had been to the person and ended up barreling into him. They toppled over, the boy cursing heavily.

She was about to get up and run when she smelled the familiar scent of cigarettes and dynamite. She felt the boy's shirt, "Gokudera-san?"

The boy groaned and shoved her off. "Oi! Woman, what the hell are you doing?"

"Gokudera-san, it is you! Could I borrow some dynamite and a lighter! Ah, no, I have a lighter. Maybe just the dynamite?"

The boy had apparently noticed the problem however, because he stood up slowly. Glaring at the men who were chasing her, he asked, "What do you want with the girl?"

"Look sonny, this ain't any of your business. So if you'll just move out of the way-" A single stick of dynamite went flipping through the air at them. A loud explosion and they were done for.

Gokudera turned to her, "Oi! How are you supposed to protect the Tenth, if you can't even take care of some thugs like those?"

She couldn't think of an excuse so she honestly said, "I know I need training Gokudera-san."

The boy growled, "If you put the Tenth in danger, I won't let you off. Look, your feet are all cut up now! You can't run around in the street with bare feet!"

"Oh? Are you worried about me Gokudera-san?"

"Of course not! With your feet like that, you could endanger the Tenth! If you put the Tenth in danger, I won't let you off so easily."

The girl nodded in understanding, "Well then you don't have to worry; my feet are perfectly fine," and then sniffed. "By the way, what's that in your bag?"

She grabbed the bag he had been carrying and felt the contents disapprovingly, "Don't tell me this is your dinner!"

"So what if it is? What do you care?"

She mimicked his earlier statement, "If you become weak from malnutrition, how are you going to protect the Tenth! If you put the Tenth in danger, I won't let you off so easily."

He scowled and stared at the onigiri wistfully. She smiled and stood up, "Wanna come to my place? I was making a nice healthy dinner before those assholes showed up."

He scoffed, "Why would I want to eat your food?"

Thinking for a moment, she replied, "It's healthier than yours and it's free?"

That was how a few minutes later; Gokudera Hayato had entered her home and was watching her make dinner. As she deftly sliced up the bell peppers, she called over her shoulder, "Are you allergic to anything?"

He shook his head but then realizing she couldn't see him, gruffly replied, "No."

She smiled brightly and started sautéing the bell peppers with onions. When they finished, she allowed them to cool on the pan as she sliced up some meat into small pieces. They were quickly seasoned and then tossed into another pan where she let them cook. As the smell spread through the kitchen, Gokudera found his mouth watering with anticipation.

A little later, they were seated at the dining table. Gokudera took a bite of the stir fry and resisted the urge to moan. However useless the girl was, she was at the very least a good cook. As they ate, Mio asked, "Do you not cook for yourself Gokudera-san?"

He grunted, "Too much hassle."

"Then how about you eat here?" she asked, surprising even herself with the abrupt offer.

"What's in it for you?"

She stopped eating and thought for a moment, "Nothing I guess. But I think it's a lot nicer eating with people than eating alone." She smiled sadly, "It's kind of lonely to only be able to cook for myself."

"Fine, I'll help train you." He mumbled.

"Why?"

"You're a Vongola family member too! If you're too weak to protect the Tenth, then how can I trust you?"

"I'm…part of the family?"

"Since Reborn-san said you are, then I guess it can't be helped. Stupid woman, you're part of the Vongola now. Your actions have consequences!"

"I don't want to be a burden to the family" the girl thought as she ate, "But can I trust this one?"

* * *

><p>"Kiyomizu."<p>

Mio carefully made her way up to the front and took the paper from the science teacher. She felt the Braille carefully and grinned, satisfied. 100%. The teacher continued calling names until he finally got to Tsuna's. "This is just hypothetically speaking, but let's just say there's a sole student that scores in the 20 point range and painfully lowers the class average. According to me, who's come through an elite course, that kind of person will just be baggage and a burden on the education-conscious society. Is there a reason for that kind of trash to live?"

There was a rustle of paper and suddenly the class was whispering, "Whoa! 26 points!"

"He's still no-good Tsuna!"

Mio frowned. Bullying from fellow classmates was one thing, but a teacher picking on a student was just ridiculous; plus this was the boss of her so called family now. She stood up and asked, "Sensei. I was just wondering. But hypothetically speaking, if a teacher went through an elite course in Tokyo University, why would he end up in a small town like Namimori teaching middle schoolers?"

There was silence. The man cleared his throat, "Education is important at all levels-"

The door suddenly slammed open and the smell of smoke and dynamite came wafting in. Mio smiled and sat back down. "Hey! You're late! What're you doing coming in at this time!"

"Aah?" That angry tone was definitely Gokudera.

"Whoa…he's scary…"

"Word around is that he beat down the sempais…"

Mio pouted, thinking, "That was me actually!"

"Good morning Tenth!"

The class started muttering and exchanging theories again. "This is just hypothetically speaking, but let's just say there's a student who carelessly comes to class late. Without question, he hangs out with loser trash. Because like people gravitate towards each other…"

"Old man…" there was a scrape and the sound of rustling clothing, "I won't forgive anyone who insults the Tenth!"

A choked voice replied, "I said it was hypothetically speaking…"

"Tenth, should I drop this guy?"

Mio stood outside the classroom. Inside, Gokudera and Tsuna were being accused of assaulting a teacher. "If they can dig up the 15 year old time capsule by today, then this issue will be forgiven, but if they can't, expelled immediately!"

The girl rushed in, "Excuse me sir! That's a completely unfair punishment! Gokudera-san didn't even hit you! He just picked you up a little! And Ten-I mean Tsuna-san didn't even do anything!"

The man turned to her, "This is just hypothetically speaking, but let's just say there's a blind student who doesn't know how to mind her own business. Would she be able to see exactly what happened?"

She clenched her fists, rage spreading through her, but controlled herself and responded cordially, "I apologize for being blind, sensei. Is there anything else you would like to add to that hypothetical comment that could hypothetically get you fired?"

The man spluttered, outraged, and said, "If you can't dig up that capsule, you'll be expelled no matter what!"

And that was how Mio found herself listening to the sound of explosions and angry yelling. Unable to do anything of use, she stayed out of the two boys' way and listened to them destroy the playground. The explosions and yelling died down and she could hear the sound of the teacher's voice. "That's Gokudera and Sawada right? What're you doing on the playground? Now you're definitely expelled-"

There was a rustling of papers, and Gokudera said, "The 15 year old time capsule didn't show up but a 40 year old capsule came up instead. Why are the tests of an elite course guy like you in the time capsule of our ordinary middle school? And these scores…"

That night as the two were eating together, Gokudera mumbled, "Next time someone pulls shit like that, I'll blow them all to kingdom come."

She sipped her miso soup, "He shouldn't have tried to single Tenth out like that. As for calling me blind and insinuating that I'm an idiot, well I wanted to pummel his face in, but what would it have done? He would've just gotten angrier."

"Fucker" the boy growled, as he helped himself to the multiple dishes she had made that night as celebration.

After Gokudera had left, Mio sighed. While she was glad the man had been fired, she couldn't help but feel slightly depressed at his words. This was how it would always be in the future as well. People would look down on her simply because she couldn't see. It was one of the reasons she kept her bangs so long; so that people wouldn't be able to tell that she wasn't looking at them. Being blind wasn't exactly inconvenient; she had gotten used to life without her sight. It was the disdain the people around her seemed to have that put her off. And while she should have gotten used to it by now, the words still stung.

* * *

><p>Mio silently sat on the bleachers, listening to and feeling the world around her. She always tried to take some time out of her schedule to sit and relax. The sound of a metal bat meeting a ball caught her attention and she turned to listen more closely.<p>

The solid hits came almost rhythmically. The sound started to lull her to sleep so when there was a sudden shout and the sound stopped, she jerked up. She started walking towards the direction the sound had come from. As she neared, she could hear the sound of a boy panting, she stopped and asked hesitantly, "Um, are you okay?"

The boy groaned, "My arm…I think it's broken…"

"Do you have a phone? Hang on; stay right here, I'll go get someone from the school!"

She took off running in the direction of the school building; her sense of direction was incomparable to others and it truly helped in these sorts of situations. She ran through the school listening for the sound of a person, but could find no one. It was late and everyone had already gone home. She was about to give up and go back to the boy when she heard a rustle ahead of her. "Ah! Excuse me! Do you have a cell phone I could borrow! There's someone who's hurt on the baseball field!" she called urgently.

The person didn't reply and she repeated her request. "Herbivore, stop dancing back and forth in front of me before I bite you to death."

She agitatedly responded, "No, I eat meat; I don't have time for that! Please, do you have a cell phone I could borrow? He's really hurt!"

"Students should not be on the campus at this time. What were you doing here, herbivore?"

"Seriously? Someone is out there hurt! On your precious school campus! The faster I find a phone, the faster we'll both be out of here!"

The boy reluctantly handed her his phone and she called for an ambulance. "Thank you!" she all but threw the phone back at him and then started running back for the boy.

* * *

><p>"What's happened to Takeshi? Is he all right?" a man hollered as he ran into the hospital.<p>

Mio stood up and bowed to him, "He's in the emergency room right now, but they said he should be all right sir. It was a clean break."

"Ah, young lady, thank you for helping my stupid son!"

She bowed again and when the doctor came out to brief the worried father, she quietly left. "Is that what parents are like?" she thought, "How nice."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

First chapter for my new fic! I hope everyone likes it. And if not, tell me why so I can improve haha.

I actually wanted to write one with a bloodthirsty main character, but as I was brainstorming ideas, this was the best I could come up with ...ahaha... Well, I'll come up with a bloodthirsty character some day. :)

Read and review please~


	2. Chapter 2: Dynamic Bonding

"Hey everyone! Yamamoto is about to jump off the roof!" a boy yelled as he came running in.

"Yamamoto from our class?"

"Hm that's impossible. There're good and bad pranks, you know."

The class immediately started laughing. "When he stayed after school practicing yesterday, he went too far and broke his arm!" the boy continued.

Everyone went silent and then in a panic, ran for the roof. Mio followed them quietly. Everyone was chattering all at once on the roof, so much so that the girl couldn't even hear where Yamamoto was. Angered by the ridiculous and useless things people were saying, she opened her mouth to shut them all up, when all at once; they went quiet on their own.

"Tsuna? If you came to stop me it's no use. You should be able to understand my feelings." She could hear Yamamoto saying.

"Huh?"

"For someone that's called no-good Tsuna all the time, you can understand the feeling of preferring to die over failing at everything, right?"

"Huh…I um…No…You and I are different, so…" Tsuna replied hesitantly.

She could hear the anger and bitterness in Yamamoto's voice as he spoke, "How arrogant of the recently awesome Tsuna-sama. So you're a fine student now as opposed to me."

"N-no, that's wrong! It's because I'm no good!" Tsuna said, flustered. "Unlike you, I've never put effort into one single thing… I arrogantly told you 'effort' and such, but I've really done nothing. …What I said yesterday was a lie… I'm sorry!" he continued.

"Saying you're so frustrated that you want to die, or you want to die because of a career ending accident…unlike you, I've never had those kinds of intense thoughts. In fact, I'm a pathetic person who would have regrets when dying…thinking if I'm going to die then I should've done it with dying will, thinking it's a waste to die from something like this…"

Everyone listened as the boy let out all his feelings in front of them. "So, I can't understand your feelings. Sorry…" With an embarrassed "Later!" he started to run away, but was caught by Yamamoto and dragged back.

At the added weight, the rusty fence gave way and the two of them toppled back and fell. The horrified screams of her classmates grated against Mio's ears and she resisted the urge to scream at them. Instead she strained her ears, listening for something that would tell her that they were okay.

Was that a gunshot?

In the end, Tsuna and Yamamoto somehow made it to the ground safe and the class left the roof, grumbling about pranks. Frustrated with her inability to help, Mio stayed on the roof.

"Someone like me has no right to be in a part of a family. I can't help anyone so why should they waste their time protecting me."

She punched the wall next to her angrily, hissing when her fist only got injured. "Herbivore, what are you doing here?"

"I'm skipping class, what does it look like?" she responded.

"For breaking the rules, I'll bite you to death."

"I don't give a fuck! Can't you see that I'm self loathing right now?" she retorted, standing up.

Something hard met her face and she was flung to the side, hitting her head on the wall. "You little shit!" she yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"

He repeated his earlier statement, "I told you I would bite you to death herbivore."

His next attack hit her right in the stomach, knocking all the breath out of her. She gasped in pain but grabbed the jacket that was flapping in front of her noisily. He hit her in the arm and as her grasp weakened, kicked her backwards. "Fuck you" she hissed.

She struggled to stand up again but in the blink of an eye, the boy had gotten right next to her and kicked her in the stomach again. He picked her up by the collar and watched as she struggled in his grasp. "You are one of the new transfer students" he said.

"So what?" she gasped.

"Do not break the rules in Namimori or I will bite you to death" he dropped her and left the roof.

She punched the ground in frustration. "Shit. Even this bastard. Every single one of them. Looking down on me! _Fuck!_" she thought as she pummeled the ground.

It was only when the sting of her cuts got to her that she stopped and laid there, immersed in her own thoughts.

She wasn't sure how long she had been there, having not heard the bells. She stumbled down the stairs and made her way through the school without much difficulty. She was almost at the front door when she heard footsteps coming from down the hall. She tried to make herself as invisible as possible, but a familiar voice growled, "What the hell happened to you woman?"

"Oh it's you Gokudera-san" she sighed, "I was bitten to death."

"You got beaten again? How incompetent are you?" he exclaimed.

It was the last straw, "Yeah I know I'm incompetent! I can't do anything so just leave me alone!" she yelled.

The silence that followed her outburst was stifling, but neither of them moved. Then she felt him grab her by the wrist, "I'll start training you tomorrow morning so you better be ready. But for now, you have to get those treated or else you won't be able to do anything tomorrow." He mumbled.

Stunned into silence, she obediently followed him. They got to her apartment and she let them in, not having spoken another word the entire time. "Where's your first aid kit?" he asked.

"The bathroom cupboard" the reply seemed to come naturally somehow.

Having gone to her apartment every night for dinner, he knew his way around pretty well and came out a moment later with the kit. He dragged her over to the couch and forced her to sit and then started cleaning her wounds. "Um…Gokudera-san, why are you doing this?"

"If you don't clean these, they could get infected! And if that happens, how the hell are you supposed to protect the Tenth?"

He finished bandaging her up and stood up, "You can't use that arm for now so what do you want for dinner?"

"Eh…Gokudera-san, can you cook?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course I can stupid woman! Cooking is just science! I just have to follow a recipe! It's easy!"

An hour later, the results of his science were done. Jade took a bite and chewed slowly. "It's…not that bad" smiling at him comfortingly.

"If it's bad, you don't have to eat it" he growled.

She took another bite, "No, I like it."

"Look, you don't have to force yourself to eat it" he mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's been a long time since anyone has cooked for me" she said, shaking her head, "Thank you Gokudera-kun."

Noticing the change in honorifics, she gasped, "Ah, sorry. It just somehow came out."

"I don't mind" Gokudera mumbled, blushing fiercely, "if you call me that."

She grinned, unable to resist the opportunity to tease him, "Are you blushing Gokudera-kun? I can feel the heat radiating from you."

"Of course I'm not!" he retorted, eating faster.

* * *

><p>"The test is easy. Simply dodge the attacks." Reborn said, pulling out two guns. "Well, let's start."<p>

He whipped out a set of knives and threw them at the baseball player who dodged in the nick of time. "W-wait, Reborn! Are you seriously trying to kill Yamamoto!" Tsuna asked.

"Wait up Tsuna" Yamamoto pulled the boy back and whispered, "When we were kids, we played with wooden swords, right? It's all right. I'll stick around."

"As the boss, show him an example, Tsuna." Reborn said. He turned to Mio, "You too since you're a subordinate."

"Sounds good. It's a race to see who's going to pass the test. Well, I'm not worried about Kiyo-chan, since she's already so fast."

"K-Kiyo-chan? When did you two get so close?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Ahaha that's a secret" Yamamoto said, grinning playfully as he started running away, "Well, let's run!"

Mio took off after the boy, listening for the sound of projectiles. "Next weapon is a bow-gun." She stopped at the sound of the baby's voice coming from in front of her, was grabbed by Yamamoto and dragged to the side, where they continued running. She could faintly hear the sound of a child's laughter and then suddenly, "I'm Lambo from the Bovino Family! I'm Lambo who came to Junior High School even when he's five years old!"

She didn't have any time to think about it however, because even more projectiles were being flung and shot at them. She was almost safe when the sound of much larger things came flying at them. Yamamoto grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way in the nick of time. Right behind her, she could hear explosions. "Phew. Looks like if I take it easy, I won't be able to pass."

"Reborn! Let's stop this test! You saw that right? Lambo started to shoot missiles!"

The baby ignored him and said, "Next is a sub-machine gun. First, the level of a trainee hitman." He started firing at them. From all around them, she could hear the sounds of people preparing to attack. The various dynamite, bullets, and missiles all came flying at them, and Mio made a split second decision. She grabbed Tsuna's wrist and pushed him in front of her. Yamamoto continued pulling her along and the three of them made a run for it.

When the smoke cleared, Gokudera rushed over, "Are you alright, Tenth?"

"Phew that was close" Yamamoto said, holding onto Tsuna who was weak-kneed.

"Since Yamamoto pulled me…I…was saved…" Tsuna stuttered.

Mio stood up and brushed herself off. A hand grabbed her arm and she flinched, "Who-"

"Oi woman, it's me. Calm down."

"Gokudera-kun? This smoke is messing my senses up" she coughed, trying to clear her lungs.

* * *

><p>That night, he showed up at her door with a bag full of books. After eating, he sat her down and started lecturing to her. She listened for awhile before interrupting, "Gokudera-kun, why are you telling me about all these weapons?"<p>

"You seemed familiar with dynamite" he replied, "So I thought you could be the weapons expert."

"But why are we not doing any actual training?"

"Understanding begins on paper stupid woman! You have to understand the theories about this before you actually do it!"

"Eh? I'm more of a hands-on experience type person."

"Are you complaining?"

"Ah no sensei. Please continue." She replied dryly. He resumed lecturing her about the different types of weapons.

The next day however, he seemed to have taken her advice and decided on some actual training. "I want to test your senses today before we go back to theories. Wave when you can't sense me anymore."

He started walking away casually. Gradually, the sounds got softer and softer until she was straining to hear his footsteps. A moment later, she waved her hand. He came back and wrote something on a clipboard.

Bringing out a handful of dynamite, he handed it to her, saying "Try hitting the paper targets with these."

Close by, she heard the rustling of paper and lobbed a lit stick of dynamite at it. Drowning out the sound of the explosion, she then proceeded to hit all the targets that were close by. Gokudera walked back, still writing, "Now to test if you can differentiate sounds. Hit only the paper."

She continued to impress him with her tuned senses. "Ah, don't walk so close to the paper targets, Gokudera-kun. I might hit you."

Baffled, he asked, "How can you tell it's me?"

"That's easy, your scent is unique. Nothing else in this area smells like that mixture of tobacco and smoke. I can hear your footsteps too."

After the training, they sat down on a grassy part of the park they had decimated in silence. "Reborn-san says making you a weapons expert on firearms is a good idea. You have good aim and you could you learn how to use a gun easily."

"So…get me a gun?" she responded, confused as to why he would even bring up something so obvious.

"He also said that I should ask you about your past" the boy continued.

At this, Mio stiffened. "And if I don't want to tell you?" she asked, cautiously.

"I'm not going to pry. But it better not affect the Tenth." Brushing himself off, he stood up and offered a hand to pull her up.

She ignored it and stood up by herself. "Bye then" he muttered, before walking off.

"Sorry Gokudera-kun. I don't think you're ready to hear my past yet. Because if you do, you'll either pity me or hate me. And I don't want that to happen." She thought before walking off the opposite direction back to her apartment.

* * *

><p>"Ah Kiyomizu-san, we can do it so you don't have to do anything" a girl said hesitantly.<p>

Mio sighed and sat down. Why did everyone assume that she couldn't do anything simply because she was blind? She had been waiting for awhile when she heard the sound of rice cooker indicate that it was ready. After waiting a bit, the girls opened the lid to let it cool. They had just started to form their onigiri when Mio stopped them, "Did you wet your hands?"

"Eh? Should we?"

"It helps make the rice not stick to your hands. If you make it salt water, it can add some extra flavor to the onigiri."

"Are you…maybe…good at cooking, Kiyomizu-san?"

She shrugged, "About as well as the average person, I guess. But onigiri are pretty easy."

She washed her hands and then rubbed some salt over them. Taking a handful of rice, she quickly started shaping it in her hands. The girls watched her and copied her techniques of applying the right pressure to the rice to make it stick but not squish. She made three normal sized ones and a small one that she popped into her mouth.

"Kiyomizu-san, we'd like to thank you for helping us. We used to think you were a bit hard to approach, but you're actually really nice!" The girls thanked her and chattered happily together.

"Hard to approach? You could say that." She thought wryly.

They carried their creations back to the classroom where the girls announced, "We'll give the onigiri we made in home economics class today to you boys!"

The guys cheered. From the other side of the classroom, among the excited chatter, she could make out Gokudera's voice. "What a weird event."

Behind her, she heard the door open. A foreign perfume and the sound of soft stealthy unfamiliar footsteps making their way to a certain girl, told her that a stranger was in the classroom. But for what reason? Soon it became clear as the nauseating smell of some horrible onigiri replaced the nice familiar rice-y scent. "Hey, wait up! What are you doing?" Tsuna shouted, running over to where the horrible smell was coming from.

A sweet voice asked, "Tsuna-kun. Want to eat them?" That was Kyoko, the school's idol. From the way Tsuna was stuttering, it was obvious the boy had a crush on her as well. But the fact that he hadn't accepted yet meant that he had noticed the woman who had come in and switched the onigiri?

"Oh, you don't like salmon?" Kyoko asked, sounding a little disappointed. Mio winced on the inside and encouraged the boy silently, "Be a man and eat it Tenth. I'll pray for it not to kill you."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, a whole group of girls had surrounded Gokudera and were trying to give him their onigiri, despite the boy's angry refusals. He finally managed to get away from them and took his place by Tsuna's side again. While Tsuna was still hesitating, it seemed that Gokudera and Yamamoto hadn't noticed the difference in onigiri and had each reached out to take one.

As they were about to bite into the poisonous onigiri, Tsuna batted them out of their hands, yelling, "If you eat it, you'll die!"

There was a gunshot and suddenly Tsuna was yelling and running around the classroom, grabbing onigiri from everyone. He ran up to Mio and reached forward to grab hers. Immediately, her fist flew out and made contact with his face. There was a tiny pop and then the sound of a bullet clattering onto the ground. He calmed down immediately as Mio stood there, shocked at her own actions. "Ah, sorry…that was a reflex…"

Gokudera didn't see it that way however, as he immediately rushed over, yelling angrily, "You bitch! What the hell do you think you're doing? How dare you hit the Tenth!"

She apologized again but Gokudera would have none of it. "And I don't need your dinners anymore either" he growled, making sure no one could hear him.

* * *

><p>"Kiyomizu Mio. She's stronger than I thought she'd be. Getting the bullet to come out like that. I thought only the one ton mallet can do that. Perhaps she has that much force packed in one punch?" Reborn mused. "I'll have to find a good weapon for her."<p>

* * *

><p>Mio slowly slurped up the ramen she had made. "That's right. I got too comfy. They always leave after awhile. Family, huh." She thought to herself.<p>

The first time it had left her blind and this time it had left her feeling empty. Although Gokudera had never spoken much, usually only talking about Tsuna, without his presence, the kitchen felt much darker and bigger already.

"What does it mean to be part of a family? People can leave each other so easily; what difference does it make if you're family or not?" She thought, finishing up her ramen. She tossed the cup away and sat at the table, alone and in the dark. Grabbing her homework, she tried cheering herself up, "Well whatever, I'm used to people leaving me. It's not the first time this has happened. Hard to approach? Sure, I guess I am. With good reason."

But the loneliness and regret lingered with her the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>"Eh? Kiyomizu-san? What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked.<p>

"Reborn-san asked me to come help you with home economics."

"Ehhh? But Bianchi is already here…"

"If you want me to leave, that's okay too" Mio replied, turning to leave.

"Ah no! It's just that I don't know if Bianchi will be happy that Reborn asked someone else to help me as well" Tsuna replied sheepishly. "Come in!"

She felt her way around the house and followed him upstairs to his room. "Ah. You came just in time." Reborn commented from his seat in the room.

Mio bowed politely and then took a seat. Bianchi looked up and smiled, "What I'm creating now is Poison Cooking 2. Twice the killing rate."

"I want you out of here, now!" Tsuna shrieked, "Kiyomizu-san can teach me!"

Mio scooted over, "Does that really kill and not just give bad stomach aches?" she asked curiously.

Bianchi chuckled, "Of course. All of it is for love. Are you interested in learning poison cooking?"

The doorbell rang at that moment and a familiar voice called, "Tenth!"

Tsuna shrieked and ran downstairs. Bianchi stood up and followed and Mio was forced to tag along, although reluctantly. As they came down the stairs, Gokudera suddenly froze and dropped the watermelon he had been carrying. "Aneki!" he stuttered, sweating.

"Hayato" Bianchi replied, surprised.

Suddenly the boy clutched his stomach and ran out of the house, yelling, "Excuse me!"

"He's always like that" Bianchi commented idly, "Strange boy."

Tsuna was holding his head in a panic, "Gokudera-kun and Bianchi are siblings?"

"Yep, with different moms" Reborn answered. "You two should go after him." He said, looking at Tsuna and Mio. After a moment, the girl reluctantly followed Tsuna out the door.

They found a little while later, leaning against a tree, panting heavily. They walked up to him and he started telling the story of how Bianchi had caused him trauma as a child. He then asked Tsuna to drive his sister out of the town. The two came up with an outrageous plan and Tsuna went running off. Gokudera turned to Mio who was still standing there, unsure of what to do.

"What were you doing there woman? You're not bothering the Tenth are you?" Gokudera growled.

"I'll have you know that Reborn-san asked me to come and help Tenth with his home economics. And Bianchi-san is going to teach me poison cooking." She retorted.

"Geh! She's going to what?"

"She's going to teach me poison cooking. It's a talent that could come in handy when protecting the Tenth so I don't see why you should have any objections."

"Don't okay?"

"Why not? This has nothing to do with you Gokudera-kun! I want to learn to be more useful to Tenth."

"Look, just…anything but poison cooking. Your cooking is good so don't ruin it." The boy mumbled.

"I'm not going to feed you poison cooking Gokudera-kun. You're not even eating at my apartment anymore, so I don't see the problem here."

"I'm sorry, okay?" He shouted, "I lost my temper when I shouldn't have! Just don't learn poison cooking."

She thought for a moment before replying, "Well fine, but I still want a gun."

Reborn popped in at that moment, "That's fine. I'll get you one. More importantly, Mio, you should continue cooking for Gokudera."

"Eh? Why?" they both replied at the same time.

"It's important to build up family bonds" the baby replied.

"Well…" Mio swallowed her pride, "If he's not against it, I don't mind, I guess…"

"I guess I will…but only cause it's healthier! And I don't want to endanger Tenth!" Gokudera agreed.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

It's been awhile since I've updated but here's chapter 2!

I'm developing Mio's character and her relationship with...mainly Gokudera I guess...ahaha... D: And don't worry, her past will be revealed eventually. :)

Next chapter should be out around Saturday?

Read and review~


	3. Chapter 3: Crushes

"Ah Gokudera-kun, you're late" Mio commented as the boy entered her apartment, "Do you have the things I asked you to buy?"

The boy froze, "Geh! I left them back there! Shit! That stupid woman!"

"Left them where? What woman?" She asked, confused.

"There was some stupid woman attacking Tenth! So I went and blew her up and then I forgot the bag!"

Mio sighed, "I guess we'll just have to have something else for dinner."

"More importantly, Reborn-san told me that your weapons came in."

"Yeah, they're on the table in the living room. Big suitcase, you can't miss it."

After eating, they got down to business immediately. Gokudera opened the suitcase the weapons had come in and whistled, impressed. There was a pair of handguns, a disassembled rifle, and a machine pistol. The boy took out the pair of handguns and the manual that came with them and started reading aloud. The girl felt the guns and tested their weight in each hand, getting used to the feel, and familiarizing herself with what she would be working with.

It was a process that they would repeat many times before the girl would actually get to fire the weapons.

* * *

><p>Mio disassembled, reassembled, and loaded the guns fluidly with no hesitancy in her actions. She raised the handgun, aimed at the target Gokudera had set up for her, and fired. The sound of the gun being fired startled her, however, and threw off her aim. She shot a few more times getting used to the feeling before putting it down and switching to the machine pistol. According to the manual, it was a MAC 11. She pulled the trigger. The force of the recoil threw off her aim horribly and unable to let go of the trigger in time, she ended up emptying the entire magazine. This gun would be much more challenging to master, and she would need to learn control before she would be able to use it properly; nevertheless, that would just make it all the more satisfying to use. The last firearm she put together was the rifle. Holding it like the manual had instructed her, she once again aimed at her target and fired. Its recoil dug into her shoulder painfully, almost making her fall, but she caught herself just in time.<p>

Gokudera came over, "You skimmed the top of the target on that one. If you aim about 30 degrees lower and take the wind into account, then of course you have to consider…"

Mio wasn't listening. She was delighted with the weapons. The power that she held in her hands, controlled by her and her alone. Finally, _finally_, she would be able to do something on her own. It was an absolutely exhilarating feeling, as if she held all the power in the world in the palm of her hand.

Becoming a weapons expert was the best choice she could have made.

* * *

><p>"We're here!" the three people announced.<p>

"Wha- Why are Gokudera-kun and Kiyomizu-san here?" Tsuna shrieked.

"I was thinking about it, and I figured if there isn't someone who understands the stuff, we're never gonna finish this, right?" Yamamoto explained, "With Gokudera and Kiyo-chan here, we have the skills of 100 people."

Mio smiled warmly; she could practically hear Tsuna weighing the pros and cons of the situation. After spending so much time with the three of them, she had gotten to know them all pretty well; and because of it, she had come to recognize their unique scents and quirks. Gokudera of course smelled like tobacco and smoke, and he dragged his feet as he walked. Yamamoto, the friendly baseball player always smelled like sushi and sunshine, his steps were controlled, but light. Tsuna, the most ordinary of either of them, oddly smelled like the sky. He reminded her of breathing in the fresh air in the mornings; the smell was comforting to say the least. He walked irregularly, usually tripping on things here and there.

They settled themselves comfortably in Tsuna's room and Gokudera started teaching them from the book. Noticing that Tsuna was still a bit confused with some things, Mio scooted closer and discreetly helped him. Soon, it had split up into two mini study groups. Gokudera was lecturing Yamamoto, and Mio was slowly helping Tsuna learn the basics that he needed to know. The process was slow since the boy had to read each problem to her, but with repetition and patience, they got the worksheets done. All except for question seven.

Assuming that it was just her who didn't get it, Mio asked Gokudera about it. The boy stared at the paper for a moment and then stuttered, "…I don't get it…"

"That's not good" Yamamoto laughed, "If we can't solve all of it, we're gonna fail, right?"

Gokudera panicked, "Whaat? Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"Now, now, we still have time so let's join our powers and think."

"Duh! I can't let the Tenth fail!" Gokudera snapped.

The sound of someone coming up the stairs registered in Mio's mind for a moment before she absentmindedly waved the thought away. They needed to solve this problem!

"Why not just have a tolerance tournament" Reborn suggested, sitting in front of a bowl of something steaming. The aroma wafted through the room and Mio's mouth watered. This was clearly not a situation where they could take it easy however and Tsuna continued to shriek, "What the heck are you doing? Are you some kind of demon?"

"Not me" the baby replied.

"Who else besides you would do such a thing-" Tsuna froze when he saw the girl that was standing in his doorway, "Haru!"

She gloomily replied, "Haru is not…a demon…"

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that someone came in a moment ago Tenth" Mio commented sheepishly.

"I heard you were working hard on homework…So I thought to help you change your mood…"

"Also, why did you let her in?" Tsuna whisper shouted to Reborn behind his hand.

"The mafia should treat women well. Treat women you favor well."

"Wha? She liked you first of all!"

Haru started dragging herself out of the room, "It's ok, Reborn-chan…Haru will go home now…" They could hear her mumbling, "Just…Haru is not…A demon…"

There was silence in the room after she left. "You're popular, Tsuna. How did you get to meet a girl from such a good school?" Yamamoto commented.

"Eh? Good school?"

"Isn't she wearing the uniform of Midori Junior High? It's one of the hardest elite all-girl Junior Highs to get into around here."

"Heh, that dorky girl is?" Gokudera mumbled.

"Maybe this question 7 might be easy for her" Yamamoto laughed.

Tsuna bolted up, "I'll go and ask Haru!"

"Ah Tenth! You don't have to run-" Mio called. Tsuna froze outside. "She's right outside the door." she finished.

"So, question 7. I learned this before; I think I'll get it." Haru said.

A few hours later, the girl collapsed, apologizing fervently, "I'm sorry! I don't know!"

Mio jerked up out of her nap to hear Gokudera yelling, "You! If you didn't know, don't act like you did in the first place!"

"I thought I could solve it…" Haru defended.

"Oh crap, it's nighttime already!" Tsuna moaned.

The window opened and a cute voice singing an annoying song drifted in. They all went silent and Mio could feel the waves of anger pouring in the kid's direction. The boy evidently noticed it as well because he went quiet and then laughed nervously, "I…I'm just passing by."

"Hey! You guys! If you're just here to bother my homework progress, go home!" Tsuna yelled.

"Come on, calm down a bit, Tsuna, Gokudera. It's still a first year Junior High question. We can just ask an adult." Yamamoto said, reassuring them.

"Aah! I know an older lady who can probably solve this problem!" Haru shouted. She whipped out her phone, still complimenting the woman. "She's really pretty and her hobby is cooking. Oh, hello, Bianchi-san?"

Both Gokudera and Tsuna panicked at the same time. "W-wait, you don't need to call Bianchi!"

The sound of a bicycle coming to a stop outside the house sent Gokudera running down the stairs as fast as he could. He slammed the door shut and locked it before the woman could get in. Clearly it didn't work because a moment later, they could hear his screams.

"So Bianchi, do you get it?" Tsuna asked, having resigned himself to letting the woman help them.

"Well…whatever to this" she replied coldly, ripping the paper into pieces. "Love is what's important."

As Tsuna shrieked and moaned, Bianchi turned to Mio. "Would you still like to learn poison cooking, Mio?"

Hesitantly, the girl opened her mouth to reply but a groan from behind her stopped her. Gokudera weakly moaned, "No you can't. Don't learn it."

"Hayato, if she wants to learn, you can't stop her" Bianchi reprimanded.

"Don't do it…" he continued to moan, "I don't want to accidentally be poisoned again…"

"Oh? And why would you end up being poisoned?"

"Ah" Mio suddenly said. "That's because…um…I cook dinner for him?"

"Stupid girl" he groaned, "I told you not to tell anyone…"

"Ehh? Gokudera-kun and Kiyomizu-san have dinner together?" Tsuna asked.

"Ahaha, you two really seem like a couple" Yamamoto laughed.

There was an awkward silence. And then Mio broke out laughing, "How can we be a couple, Yamamoto-kun? He doesn't fit my ideal type of guy at all!"

Gokudera immediately shot up, seemingly recovered from his bout of sickness and retorted, "I never said I liked you either, stupid woman!"

"I never said you did, you dimwit!"

"Ahh, I can see the love" Bianchi said, tears in her eyes. Upon seeing her face again, Gokudera immediately collapsed, almost foaming at the mouth.

"It's not love!" Mio insisted, "I don't understand where you're getting that idea from!"

In the end, Haru's father came and helped them with question 7, Reborn revealed he was a genius mathematician, and Mio decided to take the poison cooking lessons after all despite Gokudera's protests.

* * *

><p>"Ehh, I didn't think we had such a good room-" Yamamoto said, as he slid the door open.<p>

"Who are you?" a boy inside the room questioned them.

"What is he?" Gokudera asked belligerently.

"Gokudera, wait…"

"Would you put out your cigar in front of the Disciplinary Committee President? Well, either way, I won't let you get away."

"What the hell, bastard?" Gokudera yelled, walking in front of Yamamoto.

"Put it out" the boy said, swinging an arm. Immediately the cigarette was put out. Gokudera darted backwards, alarmed.

"Ah!" Mio suddenly shouted, "You're that guy who beat me up the other day! Going on and on about biting and vegetables or something!"

He turned to look at her, "I really hate weak herbivorous animals that form groups. Whenever I see them," his gaze narrowed, "I really want to bite them to death."

"Whoa, it's my first time being in the reception room" Tsuna said, walking in.

"Wait, Tsuna!"

"One." The boy was knocked away brutally.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Gokudera yelled, charging forward.

"Two" the dynamite user was knocked unconscious before he could even light his dynamite.

"What's your problem?" Mio growled. The boy lunged for her, but to his surprise, she managed to dodge his attack.

"Herbivore, you are blind correct?" the boy asked.

Infuriated by the question, the girl pulled out the handgun she had on the inside pocket of her jacket, "And what if I am? Don't fucking underestimate me!"

She fired a blank at the boy. He simply batted it away however, and as she was trying to load a different type of bullet, he brought the tonfas crashing into her stomach, throwing her against a wall. "For bringing a weapon into Namimori, I'll bite you to death."

She pointed at him and fired a stunning bullet at him. He knocked it aside with a tonfa and kicked her in the same spot in the stomach. "Three." Yamamoto growled angrily, "Punk."

He managed to dodge the prefect's attacks, but it was only a matter of time before he was taken down as well. "Four."

Mio coughed, struggling to breathe, "Fucking hypocrite. You're holding weapons and yet you're punishing me for bringing mine on campus?" She fumbled to hold onto the gun in her hand, shaking from the pain that he had dealt her.

He walked over and stepped on the hand that was holding the gun, "This weapon is confiscated."

Anger brought with it a surge of energy. She lunged up and punched the boy in the face as hard as she could. Satisfied with her blow, she grinned, "I told you not to underestimate me."

A second later, he had broken her arm and knocked her unconscious and turned to deal more damage to the other intruders.

* * *

><p>"Wha-? You intentionally made us meet him?" Tsuna yelled.<p>

"It was a dangerous bet though. You're lucky to leave with only bruises and scratches. Something must have happened to Mio to make her provoke that way though."

"He caught her skipping on the roof and beat her up" Gokudera grumbled, "Stupid woman."

Yamamoto frowned, "That Hibari though; I didn't think he would actually beat up a cute girl like Kiyo-chan so harshly."

"Cute? You think that stupid girl is cute?" Gokudera grunted.

"Eh? Isn't she?" Yamamoto replied, laughing.

"Hmph, more like annoying."

"What do you think Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, turning to the blushing boy.

"Uh… well, I guess?"

"Romance is forbidden so you should all just forget about it." Reborn warned.

* * *

><p>"Poison cooking is all about love" Bianchi explained, as she continued to create batches of what looked like rotting cake.<p>

Mio's arm had finally healed and she was taking her first poison cooking lesson from the Poison Scorpion. So far, it wasn't going very well. While all her creations had turned out looking grotesque, they all still tasted fine. "More love Mio" Bianchi said, "You're doing well."

The girl concentrated and started mixing all sorts of things into what she was making. Lazily chopping some onions, she dropped the chunks in and then set it on the stove to boil. The result was a sort of brown looking stew. Bianchi scooped some into a dish and set it outside on the window sill. A few birds hopped closer to inspect the dish. One of them pecked at a piece of something that was floating in the stew and suddenly took off flying rapidly in circles.

"Oh my, it seems that your dish gave that bird an energy boost" Bianchi commented.

Mio apologized miserably, "I'm sorry Bianchi-san. Even though you took the time to teach me, I still can't do it."

Bianchi smiled and cupped the girl's face in her hands, "Nonsense Mio. I enjoyed teaching you and in the end, it is all for love." The woman seemed to think for a moment, "It's been awhile since you have seen Hayato and the others, hasn't it?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, since my arm had to heal."

"Why don't you go pay them a visit?"

* * *

><p>"Get down guys!" a voice shouted. There was the crack of a whip and suddenly there were two explosions. Mio could hear something else that wasn't a person falling however, and without thinking, she brought out her gun and fired. It hit its target and exploded.<p>

Various voices were talking. "It's just one of the boss's antics again!"

"He surprises us at least once a day."

"Still, who took down that last one that the boss missed?"

The sound of footsteps running over caused Mio to hastily hide the gun in her jacket. "Ah, young lady, thank you for helping." The man sounded friendly enough. He smelled like olive oil and expensive cologne, and while the scent should have been overwhelming, it somehow mixed together enticingly.

Suddenly feeling shy, she murmured, "It's no problem."

"Hey, would you happen to know Tsuna?"

"Eh?" she looked up, "The Tenth?"

The person laughed, "Ahaha, I knew it! You must be one of Tsuna's friends, right?"

* * *

><p>"So, ask me anything, my cute sworn brother." Dino grinned. "Oh yeah, do you have a family yet, Tsuna? Besides cute little Mio of course" he questioned.<p>

The girl blushed furiously and continued to eat quietly, unsure of what to say.

Reborn responded, "Right now, there are Gokudera and Yamamoto. Also a few candidates: Hibari and Sasagawa Ryohei." "Also, don't flirt with Tsuna's family members so easily, Dino." He added, "Mio's going to be the weapons expert of the family."

"Those are just my friends and seniors!" Tsuna argued. "But why did you come to a person like me, Reborn? You seemed to be doing just fine with Dino-san."

"Eh? Reborn! I wasn't flirting; Mio is cute! Anyways, Vongola is the center of our allied families. That's why it gets priority above all others in every aspect."

"Eh? The Vongola is that influential?"

"Oh Dino-kun, my my, you spilled your food…" Nana, Tsuna's mother commented, indulgently.

"Without his men, Dino only functions half as well" Reborn said.

"Saying stuff like that again Reborn, you really want Tsuna to believe that? It's just because I usually use forks and knives so I can't use chopsticks very well." Dino defended himself.

There was a scream and they all jumped up from the table. There was a loud thud as Dino tripped over his own foot and fell and then they were all rushing to the bathroom. They could see a large turtle chewing on bits of the bathtub. Mio however could only hear crunching, "What? What's happening?" she asked frantically.

"Eh? He's right there…" Dino replied confused.

"Ah I forgot to tell you Dino. Mio is blind."

"Eh? But then earlier, how did you shoot that grenade?"

"I could hear it falling. I didn't really know it was a grenade but I heard two explosions before that from your whip so I thought it probably couldn't be a good thing. But all I can hear and feel now is crunching…"

They explained the situation to her and her eyes widened behind her bangs. "There are turtles that grow that big?" She smiled sadly, "I guess I wish I could see that."

Dino stepped forward, "Stay back. Nobody interfere. It will be a disgrace for the Cavallone family if their Tenth boss can't even take care of his own pet." Then raising his voice, he yelled, "Calm down Enzo!" and cracked his whip.

The sound of a slap and Tsuna shrieking in pain followed and Mio looked at them in confusion. Had Dino hit the younger boy? He hastily apologized, "Sorry, I slipped!"

Finally, somehow with Reborn's help, they got the situation under control and were able to settle down. "Ah I should be getting back, Tenth." Mio commented. "It was nice meeting you Dino-san." She said.

* * *

><p>"Good morning Tenth!" two familiar voices called cheerily.<p>

"Ehh? Gokudera-kun and even Kiyomizu-san?"

"I woke up too early so I was wandering around and ended up here" the boy said, "I don't know why but this girl came here too."

"It's none of your business where I go Gokudera-kun" Mio retorted but then smiled when she smelled a familiar scent. "Ah! Dino-san, good morning!"

The man came over, "Mio, morning! Hey, Smoking Bomb brat. It's our first time meeting, right?"

"That tattoo…Bucking Horse Dino!" Gokudera glowered.

"Hey everyone! What are you guys doing? You're gonna be late!" Yamamoto said, laughing as he slung his arms around the two guys. He pulled away to ruffle the girl's hair and greeted Dino pleasantly as well. He then shepherded the two boys away. Mio bid the Italian man a farewell and hurried off after them, following the sounds of bickering.

* * *

><p>"Either way, I don't like him" Gokudera commented after explaining everything Dino had done for the Cavallone family.<p>

"Eh…w-why?"

"Anyone older than me is an enemy" Gokudera growled.

Behind them, Mio could hear the sound of a car speeding towards them. She reached out a hand to grab Tsuna's sleeve and tug him to safety, but to their shock the car skidded to a stop next to them. A lasso came flying out and wrapped around Tsuna, pulling him into the car. Mio who was still holding onto his sleeve, was yanked inside as well. Upon entering the car, she relaxed immediately, "Dino-san, what are you doing?"

The man laughed, "You really are something. How can you tell it's me?"

"Eh?" she blushed furiously, "It's just…your scent is really unique" she muttered. "Anyways! Why did you do this?" she asked, demandingly.

Dino grinned, "Sorry sorry, I just had to test your family."

"Hey, wait! What about Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto? You sent them rushing off to find some group?" Tsuna asked, plaintively.

"Don't worry. Momokyokai is just some imaginary yakuza group that Reborn made up. They'll probably give up and are on their way home now."

"Tsuna, you're a lucky guy. Lately, there haven't been many family members who are so thoughtful of their boss."

Mio smiled warmly, thinking of the group of friends and how close they had gotten. She shook her head mentally; why was she getting so attached to them? They claimed they were family, but they could leave her at any moment. She couldn't develop any attachments that would leave her even more heartbroken.

"I forgot to tell you guys. Momokyokai is a real, existing yakuza in this town." Reborn spoke up.

They all panicked.

* * *

><p>"Can you tell me where he is?"<p>

"Spill it!"

Mio wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming smell of body odor coming from the room, but Tsuna rushed in, relieved that his friends weren't hurt. Upon seeing him, they threw the bodies they were threatening aside and rushed over. Mio suddenly stiffened, "Uh oh, trouble."

A door opened and a group of tough looking men walked into the room, "What did you do? You brats…"

Gokudera stood in front of Mio protectively, whether on purpose or not and she scooted out from behind him, pulling out a gun. Dino strode forward and attempted to mediate the situation. But the men were not interested. With negotiations broken, he swung his whip and managed to hit the two boys behind him as well as himself.

The men laughed loudly and charged at them. Tsuna shrieked, there was a gunshot, and then he ran headfirst into the battle. Mio joined him, firing special stunning bullets that she had made at the men with deadly aim. Gokudera and Yamamoto jumped in a moment later. A crack of a whip let the girl know that Dino had joined the brawl as well.

After they took care of threat, they returned to Tsuna's house where Dino praised them cheerfully. As he left, Tsuna commented, "Gokudera-kun, I thought you hated Dino-san. So I was afraid you were gonna turn on him."

"He just talks big and is petty so I'd rather not pay any attention to him." Gokudera said, uninterested.

"He's not petty! He's actually really cool!" Mio defended automatically. "Ah. I mean…never mind…"

Yamamoto laughed, "Kiyo-chan, don't tell me you have a crush on him?"

Mio blushed, but denied it immediately, "Of course not. I was just thinking that he was the boss of a big family and he's really talented. Don't think I'd fall for someone that easily!"

"Tch, trust a stupid woman to fall for a guy like that" Gokudera scowled.

They were all still bickering as they left Tsuna's house.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Hey, sorry it's been so long since I've updated this fic! I'm having a bit of trouble with it...aka I have no idea what to write ahaha...

Anyways! Tell me what you think about Mio's internal struggles and her interactions with all the characters. Any feedback is appreciated. Unfortunately for some reason, I just can't think of anything for Tsuna or Yamamoto to say so they end up being...just...there... D: So suggestions for that would be great too!

Please read and review~


	4. Chapter 4: Abandoned, then Found

Mio shivered in her jacket as she followed the three guys across the bridge. Her hands were firmly latched onto the bottom of Yamamoto's jacket and she looked terrified and miserable. "Eh, Kiyo-chan, you don't look so good. What's the matter?"

She shook her head and mumbled, "I'm not good with heights and bridges are especially scary. I can't sense anything up here. Everything is askew."

"Why are we going to a mountain in this weather?" Gokudera grumbled.

Yamamoto grinned, "We don't get to see nature like this very often, though."

"Yeah, it's an unexplored region that's not even on the map" Dino replied, "As an apology for hospitalizing Tsuna last time; I thought this would be a good place to have a heart-to-heart talk. Spending a night in a place like this deepens the family's unity."

Mio felt herself warming up at his words. She had been invited so she was part of the family, right? Gokudera interrupted her thoughts, growling, "What the heck are you talking about, you worthless bastard? Where's the Tenth! Is he really here?"

Dino stopped walking, "Can you tell if they're near Mio?"

She could only cling to Yamamoto weakly, shuddering. "Guess not then. Well, don't worry. He's already gone ahead with Reborn. Guessing from the time, they're probably having lunch."

They got to the end of the bridge and Mio took deep gulps of air, as she calmed down. Suddenly, her ears perked up; was that Tsuna screaming? She took off running in the direction of the sound and crashed straight into a tree. Spluttering, she tried to continue, only to trip over a tree root and faceplant on the ground. "Oi, woman! What the hell are you doing?"

"I heard Tenth screaming! Fuck! Why is there so much forest here?" she shouted, as she tripped over a branch on the ground.

"Ehh? Shit! Tenth!"

They grabbed her and ran towards where Tsuna should have been. To their shock, the boy was tied to a rock directly underneath a waterfall. The boy was screaming his head off and wailing pathetically. Dino rushed over, "What are you doing Reborn? We weren't going to train today!"

"It's boring to have a heart-to-heart talk on a mountain" the baby said, sipping tea. "So I decided to have some fun."

"Don't use me as your toy!" Tsuna yelled, as Gokudera helped untie the ropes.

"That's true. Then let's play with Enzo." Reborn said, taking out the turtle. He casually tossed it into the water.

"if you throw Enzo in the river…" Tsuna gulped. They all screamed and started running. As they crossed the bridge, Mio found herself completely lost and directionless. Suddenly the bridge gave way under her. She screamed as she fell. Underneath her, she could hear the bubbling of water, and then she hit it. The current immediately started sweeping her away, and she struggled uselessly. Blind, deaf, and unable to sense anything, she flailed in the water.

As she felt herself losing consciousness, a hand suddenly grabbed hers and pulled her from the river. She dragged herself out weakly, spitting out water and gasping for air. She was sobbing, tears pouring down her face, as she remembered just how helpless she had felt. She could feel someone rubbing her back comfortingly, but with all her senses thrown off, she couldn't tell who it was. When she had finally calmed down, she could hear the boys discussing their options in the wild. She wasn't paying very close attention, but she could tell that they had been joined by some others as well.

"Forest fire!"

"Oh no! We're surrounded by the fire!"

"Mio's still trapped over there!" Dino shouted suddenly. His urgent tone snapped the girl out of the daze she had been in and she realized that she had been separated from the others and was surrounded by fire. The smell of smoke and fire overwhelmed her and she slowly sank to the ground. Dimly, she heard someone yelling, the earth underneath her shook, and then water came raining down on her. The fire died out slowly and then she was picked up. The last thing she remembered before falling unconscious was the sound of a soothing voice, muttering fiercely, "Stupid woman."

* * *

><p><em>Darkness, she couldn't feel anything, her lungs were killing her, burning, pain. She was going to die like this. Unable to see anything. <em>"No!" she screamed, flailing, and sitting up abruptly.

"Am I awake?" she thought, "Or is this part of the nightmare…"

She could smell the scent of eggs and toast. "Okaa-san?" she thought. Throwing off the covers, she slowly made her way out of her room. She walked into the kitchen and a voice said, "Oh, you're finally up."

Her heart dropped. It wasn't her mother. Reality came crashing down on her again. Of course it wasn't her mother. Her parents had left her. She didn't realize it, but tears were pouring down her face again. "O-oi! What are you crying for? I'm sorry my breakfast isn't that good, okay?"

She stumbled over to the boy and clung onto him, sobbing, "Gokudera-kun…"

Although he wasn't sure what had suddenly caused her to break down, Gokudera was deeply worried. Reborn had told him that the girl carried a heavy past, but he had decided not to pry. Now he wasn't so sure. There was clearly something that she was keeping to herself that was tearing her apart.

"Oi, woman. I think it's time you tell me what happened in your past."

She hiccupped and nodded reluctantly. Bringing their breakfast plates to the table, he sat her down and then took a seat himself to listen to her story. "When I was a kid, I used to be really good at chemistry. My parents encouraged me, buying me supplies and challenging me to make new things. I thought they were proud of me. But it turned out that they were using me to make gunpowder and other explosives. When I was eight, they used my experiments along with some other bombs they had obtained and launched a terrorist attack."

* * *

><p><em>It had been a normal morning. Mio had bid her parents goodbye and then rushed to her room to experiment with the chemicals she had been given. She had been mixing some extremely dangerous chemicals with the television on when she heard the report on the news. "The building is in flames, with 23 people trapped inside. The suspects of this incident are Kiyomizu Minoru and his wife Kiyomizu Emiko. They are currently on the run…"<em>

_She didn't hear the rest of the report; her mind in complete disarray as she tried to process the words that continued echoing repeatedly in her head. Too late she realized that she had taken her attention away from the chemicals she was working with. There was an explosion and everything went black._

_When the police forced their way into the apartment an hour later, they found only a young girl, unconscious on the ground. She was not charged with her parents' crimes, but instead put into an orphanage. But Kiyomizu Mio was different from the other kids. She didn't attempt to get along with people, ignored their attempts to help her, and chose to show only a cold uncaring exterior. She was passed along foster home to foster home. And the more she was pushed away, the more she pushed others away._

"_Mio-chan, you left your cane at home. Don't forget to bring it with you, alright?"_

_The girl accepted the white stick sullenly, even as she muttered, "I don't need it to get around." But no one heard her. Of course they didn't. All they could see was a broken blind girl who needed other people's help to do anything. She was being pitied everywhere she went and the feeling made her blood boil._

_While it was true that the cane had originally made it easier for her to get around, it wasn't necessary anymore. She had already tuned her senses into the world around her. She could hear and feel much more reliably than a stick could guide her around. But no one tried to understand this, instead forcing the cane on her. It was a reminder, she knew, for them as well as her, to treat her gently. Because she was blind._

"_I can't take it anymore! That girl is always trying to run off, always causing trouble at school, always doing things she shouldn't be doing! I'm tired of it! The neighbors are talking about us!"_

"_Honey, she's been through a lot. You can't expect her to suddenly adjust-"_

"_It's been 5 years since the accident! How much longer does she need? There are other foster homes that can take her, but I can't handle her anymore!"_

_A book dropped on the floor and the two adults whirled around to see Mio standing there quietly. She mumbled an apology and rushed out, ignoring the man's calls. It was time to end this. She refused to be passed around like an unwanted piece of baggage. If no one wanted her, then she would live on her own. The government was giving her stipends to live off of. She could easily survive on her own. Grabbing her stuff, she quickly hurried out of the building. She ignored the pair of shoes and chose to go barefoot. As she stepped onto the street, she could feel the vibrations of the people moving around her. Using her internal map, she made her way to the subway and bought a ticket to a small town where she would hopefully be able to live peacefully. Namimori._

* * *

><p>Gokudera listened to the girl's story in shock. He had no idea that she had been carrying such a heavy burden. "I'm used to being blind and I'm used to being treated differently for it. But I still really hate the feeling I get when people decide that I'm less capable than others because of what they think is a disability."<p>

Before he could say anything, she continued, "You said I was accepted as a member of the Vongola family, but to be honest, I don't really know what that means. Family is just a word to me. I've never been irreplaceable in a family before. My parents left me without a backward glance; the foster homes passed me along like I was a toy they had gotten bored of."

She wiped away her tears, "Sorry, I just had a nightmare and I was thrown off when I woke up and found you here. I'm fine, really."

He suddenly snarled, "I'm going to kill that Bucking Bronco bastard the next time I see him."

"Eh? Why Dino?"

"It's his fault you fell into that river and almost died! You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

She felt her heart warm up at his words, "Gokudera-kun, you're actually really nice, aren't you?"

"Don't be stupid, I'm just doing what the Tenth's right hand man should do."

* * *

><p>"<em>Reborn-san said that you and Bianchi-san are siblings from different mothers…"<em>

"_Yeah…we are…Listen, I don't really like talking about my family, okay?"_

He didn't trust her enough yet. She had spilled her story to him, but he still wasn't ready to tell her the details of his own past. The realization hurt a little, but she accepted it, knowing that it was difficult to spill one's darkest secrets.

"_Then…in that case, can you let me see you?"_

"_What…?"_

_She reached over for him and gently placed her hands on his face. He twitched in surprise but stayed still for her to examine him. She pulled back a moment later smiling, "You're very pretty Gokudera-kun. I bet all the girls like you, huh?"_

_The boy scoffed, blushing slightly, "As if I care about them. As the Tenth's right hand man, I don't have time for such things."_

"_No time for romance?" she asked, her head tilted to the side, "That's kinda sad. Although I guess I'm the same. I'm too busy just living normally to even consider romance."_

* * *

><p>"Tenth! Why didn't you tell me that the ranking kid is here?" Gokudera burst into the room.<p>

"We bumped into him a while ago. It seemed interested so we tagged along." Yamamoto said, laughing, his arm flung around Mio in a friendly manner. The girl nodded in agreement.

"I have been meaning to ask the ranking kid something for awhile now. There's only one thing I want to know. For the ranking of people suitable to be the Tenth's right hand man, what place am I?" Gokudera asked seriously.

Fuuta's eyes went blank again as he contacted the ranking planet and after a moment, responded, "Out of range."

At the silver haired boy's look, he quickly added, "I didn't say it was out of range for the ranking. It's atmospherically out of range."

"Ahaha another funny guy" Yamamoto commented.

"But there are more jobs for you than just being the right hand man, Hayato-nii" Fuuta continued, "Hayato-nii ranks number 1 out of 82,203 for people suitable as a kindergarten teacher."

Complete disbelief filled the room, but Fuuta continued to make another ranking, "After all, Hayato-nii is number 2 out of 82,203 people who likes kids. It's the most suitable job."

"I…I liked kids…?" Gokudera stuttered, clutching his head in confusion and shock.

Mio grinned, "We should get ranked too Takeshi-kun. We might find out something interesting about ourselves."

The boy laughed, "Yeah we should! I commend you Fuuta! Great ranking skills."

"But the most important thing is love" a voice from above them said.

"Hiiii! Bianchi!" Tsuna shrieked.

"Take this opportunity and make a love ranking. It's time to clarify who loves who."

Yamamoto grinned, "Ah ah, do Kiyo-chan's first! I bet Dino will be on her list ahaha!"

Mio squealed indignantly, "Takeshi-kun! I told you not to say that!"

The boy only grinned at her. Fuuta nodded and concentrated. "Mio-nee's love ranking: number one is…her MAC 11."

"Eh…?"

"…I had no idea I liked my weapon that much…" Mio muttered, "Actually, I've been having trouble mastering it…" Her expression went dark. The gun was tricky and although her aim had improved, she couldn't seem to let go of the trigger on time to prevent the entire magazine from emptying all at once.

"Her number two is… Hibari Kyouya."

"What?" Mio shrieked this time. "There's no way I like that bastard! He's not my type at all! He broke my arm for goodness sake!"

"Her number three is...Xanxus."

"Hmm. Who's that?" Mio questioned. No one noticed the look on Reborn's face.

Yamamoto started chuckling, "I guess I was wrong after all, huh? This ranking seems pretty interesting! Maybe I should try it too ahaha."

Reborn cut in, "Hmm seems pretty interesting, why don't you do it No good Tsuna."

Fuuta nodded at the request, "Tsuna-nii's love ranking: number one is… Leon."

Tsuna shrieked in confusion even as Haru started pitifully crying in a corner. "Haru's heart is just like the sky. A rain storm."

Fuuta blinked, "Rain…?" He suddenly collapsed, muttering, "I hate the rain. My ranking goes all crazy."

"So, the ranking after it started to rain is all wrong?"

"Haha so then it's possible that Kiyo-chan likes Dino after all!" Yamamoto teased.

"Takeshi-kun…" the girl groaned.

* * *

><p>Class was a loud affair that day with all the girls attempting to give their chocolates to the boys of their choice. Mio herself hadn't made any chocolate, having made plans with Kyoko and Haru to make some later that day so she wasn't sure what to do about the few boys who came to hover near her seat casually. Finally the last bell rang and she began to quickly pack up her stuff. Telling Kyoko that she was going to go pick up a few things before meeting the two girls, she left without another word.<p>

"Should bring some coconut flakes and nuts to add into the chocolate; that'll definitely be yummy" she thought to herself, smiling. She was looking forward to making the chocolate creation. And since she had proven that she couldn't make poison cooking, it wouldn't matter that it would be Bianchi teaching the girls.

Lost in thought, she briefly noted the sound of footsteps of someone behind her but thought nothing of it. It was only as she was leaving the convenience store that she noticed that the same set of footsteps was still following her. She stayed calm but her free hand strayed towards her jacket where she kept her weapon.

Four detours later, she was certain that the person was following her. Leading the person who was most likely a male to Tsuna's house wasn't an option, so she chose to go to the playground where she had trained her skills. She casually sat down on a swing and waited rather impatiently for the person to make a move.

She didn't have to wait long. He made his way over to her like a lumbering beast and by the time he was next to her, she had already planned out her course of action. As he, because it was definitely a boy, reached forward to grab her shoulder, she hopped off the swing and kicked out viciously in the general direction of a certain tender area. Her aim was true and the boy crumpled onto the floor, groaning in pain.

"Can I help you with something Mr. Stalker who's been following me since I left the school?" she asked coldly.

The boy only growled a string of colorful curses that would have made any girl blush. Mio however, used most of the words he had chosen to throw at her herself and was unaffected. She sighed, "Listen, Mochida-san" the boy jerked, shocked that she had figured out his identity, "I don't know why you're following me, but I can assure you that I am more than capable of looking after myself. If you don't want to end up with worse injuries, then give up on whatever you've followed me here for."

The boy panted and then finally picked himself up off the floor. "You little bitch…I was just going to ask if you knew where Kyoko was going. This was uncalled for!"

She raised an eyebrow, despite him not being able to see it, "I highly doubt that. You followed me all the way here from the school, making sure to stay at least ten meters away, hiding here and there. I had every right to do what I did and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again."

"You'll regret this" he snarled. With that he left quickly, limping a little.

She smiled bitterly, "I've regretted many things, but this won't be one of them."

Then sighing in relief, she hurried to Tsuna's house where she would arrive just in time to help complete the chocolate. She hadn't forseen the idea of Bianchi making cookies and could only apologetically offer her nuts to be dipped in the fondue they had made.

* * *

><p>When Mio got to school the next day, she immediately felt as if she had walked into enemy territory. Normally, the chattering of students would echo loudly throughout the halls as she silently made her way to her classroom, but today, the halls were silent. Groups of girls would whisper to themselves as she walked past them. Upon arriving at her classroom, she was immediately grabbed and dragged to the front. And then the questions started.<p>

"Kiyomizu-san, is it true that you confessed to Mochida-san and that when he didn't return your feelings, you kicked him?"

"Why did you kick him?"

"Do you think that just because you're blind, you get to have special treatment?"

Attacked from all sides by the vindictive students, Mio stayed silent. From the questions being asked, she had a general idea of what had happened. And to say she was furious was an understatement. But she knew that now that she was the target, regardless of what she said, she would be ignored and treated as the enemy. Especially since she would be competing against the popular Mochida.

The door slammed open and Gokudera stalked in, hands in pockets, hunched over, and glaring. "What the hell are you doing?" he snarled at the students that were pestering her, "Get the fuck outta the way for the Tenth!" Tsuna entered the classroom a moment later with a laughing Yamamoto.

Mio smiled to herself; Gokudera hadn't meant to help her but at least this way she would be left alone for awhile. She quietly took her seat and ignored the negative thoughts being sent her way. She would find Mochida during lunch and take care of the problem.

* * *

><p>As soon as the bell rang, Mio was out of the door and walking quickly towards the year three classrooms. She knew which class he was in and it wasn't difficult figuring out where his classroom was based on the layout of the school. She grabbed someone by the collar outside of the room and slammed him against a wall. "Where the fuck is Mochida?" she hissed.<p>

"Um…I saw him going to the gym earlier…" the boy stuttered.

She dropped him and ran. Sure enough, the boy was in the gyms, in his kendo gear. Evidently, he had been expecting her because he turned to her and said, "It's about time you showed up. Had enough of being bullied? I can stop it all if you just apologize."

She snarled angrily, "I've done nothing to have to apologize for. What's wrong with attacking a stalker?"

The boy frowned, "Then what are you doing here?"

"I did come looking for you" she responded, "but only so that you would stop these fake rumors."

"Oh? I don't think they're fake" the boy replied snidely.

Mio stalked over towards him and growled, "Listen popular play boy. Either you stop these rumors or I'll rip out your testicles and _force_ you to stop them."

He laughed, "What can a blind girl do? Besides, I'm in my kendo gear. You can't hurt me."

She cracked her knuckles threateningly and pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at him. "You want to bet your life on that?"

His eyes widened in alarm, "Y-you crazy bitch! W-why do you h-have a gun?"

She kept it aimed at him and responded lazily, "Obviously so that I could take care of bastards like you." She cocked the gun and asked, "So? What's your answer? Are you going to stop these rumors or not?"

At that moment, the doors flew open and Tsuna and his friends poured into the gym. Upon seeing the gun Mio was holding, Tsuna shrieked, "Kiyomizu-chan? What are you doing? I heard Mochida-sempai spread some rumors about you so we got worried and came to find you, but this is too much isn't it?"

"You don't need to worry Tenth" Mio replied firmly, "If he dies, I'll make sure the body can't be found."

This however did not reassure the timid boy, nor did it put Mochida at ease. The third year kendo captain collapsed on the ground, stuttering, "I-I'll take it back! I'll take it back! I'm sorry!"

Still shaking with fear, the boy ran out, kendo gear and all. As soon as he left, Mio placed the gun back in her jacket and ran over to Tsuna to reassure him that she wasn't going to do anything. "I was just bluffing of course Tenth" she said, smiling.

The others seemed to accept it but Yamamoto kept his eyes on her. Something about her expression didn't seem right.

* * *

><p>"Hey Kiyo-chan" Yamamoto asked quietly, his expression somber for once, "When you found out about the rumor, why didn't you ask any of us for help?"<p>

"I didn't want to bother anyone" she muttered.

He frowned, "But as friends, we want to help you."

The girl didn't answer and he assumed she had fallen asleep. In reality, Mio was deep in thought. What was the difference between friends and family? They all left without any regret when there was any trouble. She hadn't had any friends after the accident, but the friends she had had originally hadn't made any effort to stay in contact either. Feeling rather lonely at the idea that she had no idea what friends or family really were, she curled up closer to Yamamoto's spot on the grass and closed her eyes tightly, relishing the warmth and reassuring scent.

* * *

><p>Mio sighed as she relaxed from her spot on the grass. It was a beautiful day and since school wasn't in session, she had decided to go out and enjoy the weather. The warm sun and gentle breeze gently made her drift off to sleep and it was only when there was a loud crack that she woke up with a start. She jerked up out of her seat, her hand on her weapon, and listened closely.<p>

"Hey Tsuna, look at that. It seems that pole is made out of foam. I bet he's trying to boost my confidence by doing things like that."

That voice…Yamamoto? What was he doing here? She got up and made her way over to where they were, calling their names. Evidently, she wasn't the only one who had just arrived, because another familiar voice called, "Tenth!"

The girl walked up to Yamamoto who ruffled her hair in a friendly greeting, "Yo Kiyo-chan, what're you doing here?"

She grinned sheepishly, "I was napping over there, but I heard you guys so I decided to come check it out." Yamamoto's voice was always so cheerful and soothing, the boy being too oblivious for his own good.

A childish voice declared, "The next weapon is this."

Unable to see what it was, Mio gently reached forward and felt it. "Oh, a bat. I guess that fits Takeshi-kun."

"Oh, a bat for training, eh? There's some weight in this. It's pretty heavy."

"Look into the tip of the grip."

"Oh I see, it's a telescope" Yamamoto laughed, enamored with the new toy.

As Yamamoto looked through the telescope, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm, and he jumped back quickly. A bullet hitting the spot he had been in a second earlier. Gokudera got into a defensive position and Mio's hands flew to her own gun.

"I got them to shoot from 500 meters away" Reborn stated, making them relax, "Let's move onto the next training. Dodge the bullets that come flying toward you."

Yamamoto grinned, "Okay, this is supposed to train my hand-eye coordination and response time, right? Hey you guys do it too." He said to Tsuna and Mio.

Another bullet came flying at them and Tsuna dodged in the nick of time with a shriek. "I see" Yamamoto said, looking through his telescope, "It's coming from there as well. Okay, let's go Tsuna, Kiyo-chan. I'll lead the way."

The three of them took off running. As Yamamoto helped Tsuna clumsily dodge the bullets that were suddenly raining down on them, Mio was tuning her senses. She strained her ears for the sound of the bullets and then based on the sound they were making as they streaked through the air, predicted how far away they were and where they were going to hit. Behind them, they heard a "Tenth, please dodge it!"

Suddenly heavier objects were falling towards them. Gokudera's dynamite. There was no way Tsuna and Yamamoto could get out of the way in time. Mio whipped out her handgun, loaded with the blanks and shot the dynamite as it was falling in midair. The ensuing explosion in the air had Tsuna flailing and screaming in fear. Yamamoto continued running, dragging the boy along, and Mio followed at her own pace.

They had almost gotten out of the line of fire when in front of them, Reborn stated, "Die Yamamoto."

There was the sound of a gun firing and then the sound of something being swung in the air at a high speed. And then silence. And then Tsuna was screaming, "A…a sword? So Yamamoto's weapon is a katana?"

"I christen it Yamamoto's bat" Reborn replied; he was clearly pleased by the day's events.

Yamamoto burst into laughter, "Ahahaha how strange! This is hilarious!"

He continued practicing swinging the bat turned sword and Mio was content to just listen to the sound of his swings. She couldn't help but wonder why Reborn hadn't tried to help her improve with her use of guns, when both Gokudera and Yamamoto had gotten training.

* * *

><p>"The sakura should be in full bloom today. It looks like a good day to go sakura viewing."<p>

"It's still early, we should be able to get good spots."

Mio smiled at the eager boys and sniffed the air. The sakura petals smelled sweet and lovely and while she wouldn't be able to see the view, she could definitely appreciate the delicate fragrance they emitted. They seemed to find a good spot and were preparing to save it when a deep voice declared, "This place is off limits. All the sakura trees around here have been reserved. Scram."

"Hey, that's not fair. It's not like this is private property." Yamamoto commented.

"I never said that this was open for discussion" the delinquent started cracking his knuckles, "If you don't leave, you better watch out."

Gokudera strode up to the man and from the sound of things, kneed him straight in the gut. And then the voice of the devil itself reached them, "I was just wondering who was being so noisy. So it's you guys?"

"Hibari-senpai? Ah! He's a member of the Disciplinary Committee!" Tsuna shrieked.

"I don't want to view the sakura with a crowd, so I got him to chase people off." Hibari said, his face neutral. "But it seems you weren't of much use. I'll take care of the rest. Weaklings" he viciously kicked the boy on the ground, "should just go decompose!"

Mio found herself shaking at the words. This boy didn't care for anyone but himself, using others as stepping stones for his own purposes. Just like her parents. As she was fuming to herself, she didn't notice the approach of another person and when two hands found their way to her chest, she screamed in surprise. Whirling around, she punched the drunken man in the face. Shamal hiccupped and attempted to cling to her but she backed away quickly, straight into a boy who smelled of blood, metal, and green tea.

She froze completely, her blood running cold. Before she could say anything, a tonfa came crashing into her shoulder and she was flung away like a rag doll. She hit a sakura tree, sending a shower of petals falling on her, and fell unconscious.

By the time she woke up, they had claimed the spot for themselves and she could only rage to herself. "Hibari Kyouya, I swear I'll beat you someday." She muttered through gritted teeth, "Don't think you can continue your ridiculous idea of discipline forever."

* * *

><p>"Mio, you should go bowling with them. Hone your senses and learn to mingle and cooperate with other heads of mafia families." Reborn said.<p>

So Mio found herself at the bowling alley with Tsuna, Gokudera, and Naito Longchamp, boss of the Tomaso Family; with them, were three girls that Naito was fawning over. She sat quietly next to a girl that she strongly believed was Reborn cross-dressing, due to the similarities in scent and Tsuna's reaction. One of the girls asked, "Which of us do you think is the cutest?"

"Ahh you're all so cute, I can't decide!" Naito squirmed, "All three of you are my type! Of course, Kiyo-chan isn't that cute but she's one of Sawada-chan's family members, so it's okay."

Mio pretended to not have heard him and took a sip of her drink instead. While she wasn't normally very aware of her appearance, being blind and all, she was still a girl. And being called "not cute" so blatantly by a person of the opposite gender, made her the slightest bit miffed.

The girls ignored him in favor of fawning over Gokudera, who was clearly uncomfortable, or rather horrified by the attention he was receiving. Finally, at his breaking point, the boy whipped out his dynamite and started threatening to blow them all to pieces. "Okay, Gokudera! Just calm down first! If you really want to leave then go ahead!" Tsuna tried to placate him.

The silver haired dynamite user gritted his teeth and grabbing Mio's hand, fled from the place, calling behind him, "I'm sorry, Tenth!"

He kept running, dragging the girl behind him, until they collapsed in the park where they had trained. "What" she panted, "the hell are you doing?"

He caught his breath and then replied, "You were okay with sitting there and letting that bastard call you unattractive?"

She smiled softly, "I'm blind and can't see myself. For all I know, I _could_ be that ugly."

"You're not-" he suddenly stopped and took a deep breath. "You're not ugly, all right? Especially not compared to the monsters that Longchamp bastard thinks are cute."

Touched by his gesture, Mio made a decision. She wanted to be able to trust someone and in order to do that, she would have to take the first step. She scooted over to him and asked seriously, "Gokudera-kun, I can trust you, right?"

He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Of course."

Without another word, she approached him and lifted her bangs up to show him her eyes which were wide open and filled with emotion. After a moment, she pulled away and coughed, embarrassed, "I haven't let anyone see my eyes since the accident so you better not tell anyone."

The boy didn't respond, too preoccupied with what he had seen. After a moment, he spoke up, "Your eyes…they're…"

Flustered, Mio stood up and muttered, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, she ran off, leaving Gokudera to ponder over what had just happened.

"Does this mean she trusts me now?" he wondered. "More importantly, those eyes…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Happy Valentines/Singles Awareness Day everyone!

It's been awhile since I've updated, but I can never seem to write properly these days. :/ Either I have no inspirations, or my fingers are frozen and I can't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. #firstworldproblems OTL

If anyone has any suggestions on how I could build relations between Tsuna and Mio, it would be greatly appreciated. I managed to fit Yamamoto in there somehow, but for some reason, whenever I think of Tsuna, I can only think of him shrieking and being surprised about stuff... :( (Mind you, I love him, I just think he's a wimp outside of hyper dying will, and somehow that leads me to being unable to characterize him properly).

Read and review~


	5. Chapter 5: Better Days

"You stupid fucker! What did you do to my gun? How am I supposed to shoot people with a party favor?" Mio fumed angrily. She was attempting to chase the mechanic around Tsuna's room, but kept tripping up on various things scattered on the floor.

"Can't you guys be quiet?" Tsuna exclaimed, entering his room.

"Tenth! Listen to me! This guy wrecked all our weapons!" Gokudera growled.

"Didn't I say before?" Giannini asked weakly, "That my abilities were no match for my father's? Besides modification doesn't necessarily mean improvement. Making it worse is also a modification!"

"How about I modify your face?" Mio asked, cracking her knuckles.

Lambo entered the room, asking about the ten year bazooka. Immediately becoming even more annoyed, Gokudera started arguing with the kid and inevitably hit him on the head. The boy pulled out the bazooka and shot it, while wailing up a storm. As the purple smoke cleared up, they saw that Lambo hadn't changed and he was still crying furiously. "He's just a liar" a small squeaky voice said.

"Ehhh?" Tsuna shrieked, "Gokudera-kun?"

"I'll never ask for help from you again" Gokudera growled angrily, not noticing that he had been turned into a kid.

Mio was confused. No one else had entered the room, but who was this new voice? "Oh…Reborn-san."

"Yes?"

"I feel closer to you now."

"Same."

Tsuna was busy panicking as usual so Mio could only puzzle through the situation herself. If Gokudera felt closer to Reborn and it was his voice that was all squeaky now…did that mean that he had turned into a kid? The girl grinned. Gokudera as an adorable little baby; now that was something she wished she could see.

"Whoa!" a surprised shout came from the newly born child, "Tenth, you're gigantic after all! Is this what they mean by an aura? You seem to be taller than before!"

Tsuna was in shock and could only stare, so when Gokudera announced that he was leaving for the day, it took the brown haired boy a moment to realize what the bomber had said. A second later, he was rushing down the stairs, chasing after him. Mio followed him closely.

Kyoko was talking with Gokudera, "So cute! Were you playing with Lambo-kun?"

"What did you say? Don't look down on me, woman! I'll blow you and your brother up!"

Tsuna grabbed him, shouting, "Hey wait!"

Gokudera froze, his eyes widening, "Wow Tenth! You're so strong!" Suddenly he noticed something and pointed, "Oh Tenth! There are some weird guys on the telephone poles outside!"

Unable to see or sense anything outside of the building, Mio waited for confirmation from Tsuna, but the boy was completely baffled. "Huh? What are you talking about? I don't see anything?"

Laughing, Kyoko said, "Those are sparrows!"

"Are you making fun of me?" Gokudera yelled, "I'll punch you!"

"Hey, what are you saying? Don't be like this!" Tsuna said, picking the small Gokudera up again.

Gokudera struggled out of Tsuna's grasp, whipped out his dynamite and started marching towards the door. "Hey! Goku- I mean, kid! Don't take out dangerous stuff like that!" Tsuna said.

"I'm going to go blow up the guys on the pole!"

"I said there's nothing there!"

They had just reached the door, still bickering, when Yamamoto showed up. "If you have so much free time, go get rid of the enemies outside, you baseball idiot!" Gokudera growled.

"Gokudera! You're here too!" Yamamoto grinned.

Confused, Kyoko asked, "Huh? Gokudera-kun?"

"N-no! He's Gokudera's cousin! Don't you think he seems really short?" Tsuna made up quickly.

Yamamoto picked the boy up and laughed, "Haha that's true when you look closely, but he kinda feels like Gokudera."

The shrunk bomber struggled furiously, "Hey! Yamamoto! Bastard! Let go of me! I'll kill you!" He flailed his arms wildly, "Damn it! Why can't I hit him?"

"Ararara where did this kid come from?" Lambo asked, popping out of nowhere. Ignoring Tsuna's comments, he walked over to where Yamamoto had put Gokudera down. "Does he want to become Lambo's follower? But his hairstyle is so lame! Eh, you're ignoring me? You better watch out if you make me angry." Blowing on his fist, he raised it and said, "I'm gonna teach you a lesson. Watch me beat the hell out of you!"

As his fist came towards Gokudera, the boy kicked the cow baby viciously, growling, "I don't have time for you."

Suddenly the boy gasped and pulled out his dynamite, "When did they get in here?"

Yamamoto picked the boy up and started prying the dynamite from his grasp, "Hey, kid. You shouldn't copy Gokudera."

"What are you doing?" Gokudera yelled, "You baseball freak! Can't you see them at all?"

"Don't point those short legs at me" Yamamoto laughed.

"What did you just say?" He looked down and noticed his tiny legs. "Eh? What?" Clutching his face, he shrieked, "I've become small!"

Continuing to decline into depression, he mumbled, "W-what is this…? A body that's so soft and weak…" He went limp from the horror and shock of it all. As his head lolled to the side, he seemed to spot something, "Oh no! Tenth!"

Mio however, had other things on her mind. She could hear the faint rustling of two somethings on the ceiling but she wasn't sure what they were. At Gokudera's worried shout however, she decided to put caution to the wind and pulled out her gun and fired at the same time that Gokudera was throwing his dynamite. They had forgotten about the changes Giannini had made to their weapons however, because both the bullet fired and the dynamite thrown bust into party favors.

Cursing, Mio felt around her for something to use as a weapon. Behind her, Gokudera was goading Yamamoto into teaching him baseball. There was a solid thwack and gasps of surprise and horror. At that moment, her hands came into contact with something hard. She grabbed the book, ran towards to the other intruder in the house, and slugged him with the book. The two intruders collapsed on the floor together as Tsuna shrieked and Gokudera grinned in victory. "Who are those people?"

"Ah! We've been found out!"

"Damn it! The impact broke the optical camouflage suit!"

"Good job Gokudera and Mio" Reborn's voice said, walking into the room, "I gotta give you more credit." He turned to the two assassins and said, "You were the people hiding on the electric pole."

"Ah! How did you know?"

"Children can see you. I-Pin saw you while she was out running an errand." The Chinese girl scooted out from behind the Vongola assassin.

"No way!"

"The optical camouflage should be perfect!"

"I think it was designed so that children could see through it" Giannini said, finally having come down the stairs.

"That was designed by your boss. Your boss is the Arcobaleno with the Green pacifier, Verde, right? I remember him researching on camouflage." Reborn smirked, "Verde believes that if he couldn't see through the optical camouflage, his subordinates would eventually try to rebel and betray him. That's why he made it so people under a certain age could see through it so that he could see it."

"Since we've already been discovered-"

"We'll just kill him directly!"

Tsuna screamed, panicking. "Help, Reborn!"

"I can't do anything about it right now because all my weapons are useless. Look, this dying will bullet is even dancing."

Little Gokudera cursed and attempted to attack the assassins, but one of them kicked him away. Mio flung the book in her hand at one of the assassins but he batted it away as well. She lunged forward to attack but was held back by Yamamoto, who, worried for her safety, had grabbed her by reflex. Luckily it didn't seem as if her help was necessary, because a moment later, Tsuna was yelling angrily and there was the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

* * *

><p>"Tch you actually did something useful for once" Gokudera scowled.<p>

Mio grinned, "Well since you were in such a chubby form, I had to step forward and take charge."

"Ahaha Gokudera's cousin was a lot like him, wasn't he?" Yamamoto laughed from where he was sitting on the other side of Mio.

"What did you say?" the silver haired boy growled.

"It's a good thing you were turned into a kid" she mused quietly, "I can't be sure that I would've heard those two assassins otherwise. I wasn't being very wary."

"Hmph" he replied proudly, "As the Tenth's right hand man, I'm always on the alert for possible enemies. As for you, baseball freak, could you get any more useless?"

Yamamoto chuckled, "Well all's well that ends well, right? You take this mafia game pretty seriously Gokudera."

Before the boy could explode, Mio interrupted them, "Let's all get along. The right hand man shouldn't argue with all the other subordinates, right?"

"As the Tenth's right hand man, I have to keep the others in check! And as useless as I think this baseball idiot is, the Tenth decided to accept him into the family so I have no choice but to do so as well! So! I'll do my best to get along with you even though I hate you." Gokudera rambled.

"Isn't that what I just said?" the girl muttered.

Scoffing, Gokudera leaned back against the grass and stared at the sky. The silence set in and Mio slowly drifted off to sleep.

Yamamoto watched curiously as Gokudera scooted closer to the girl surreptitiously until she was a mere centimeter away. As he reached out a hand, the baseball player asked, "What are you doing Gokudera?"

He hissed, "Shut up! It's none of your business!"

But Mio had already woken up. "Mm, Gokudera-kun, when did you get so close?" she mumbled, tiredly.

"What?" Gokudera spluttered, "None of your business woman!" He got up and brushed himself off. "As the Tenth's right hand man, I don't have the time to be lazing around!" He rushed off, leaving a confused Mio.

"What's his problem?" she muttered.

* * *

><p>Mio sat as far away from the pool as possible. Everyone was gathered to cheer Tsuna on as he reached his goal of 15 meters while she was huddled in a corner, terrified to even go near the water. Suddenly she heard, "Oh that's right, Kiyo-chan, the girls have to swim 15 meters too. Do you need help?"<p>

She flinched as the sound of footsteps approached her. She clung to her chair and whispered weakly, "I can't swim…"

"Nonsense! If you don't try, how will you know? Come on, Tsuna learned, you can too!"

The others all added their cheerful input and she was coaxed to the edge of the water. She dipped a foot into the icy liquid and shuddered, pulling back immediately. Yamamoto encouraged her gently and before she knew it, she was standing in the pool, the water up to her waist. The sensation was terrifying. Half of her senses had been blocked out and it was all she could do to not start screaming.

Behind her, a ripple of water warned her that someone was coming. A familiar scent reached her and then gentle hands were reaching for her arms and showing her how to move them. "Breathe in deeply and try holding your breath underwater, okay, Kiyo-chan?" Yamamoto instructed, seriously.

She nodded hesitantly and took a deep breathe. She slowly put her head under the water. As soon as the water completely surrounded her, she felt something akin to panic rising in her, but the hand on her arms reassured her and she continued holding her breath. As soon as the hands left her however, her head shot up out of the water and she gasped for air, looking miserable.

She continued practicing until she could hold her breath underwater without panicking. Swimming was another matter however. She would have to let go of all her senses in order to do so and she absolutely couldn't. No matter how much they encouraged, threatened, pleaded with her, she simply could not do it. She had already let go of her sight and accepted the fact that she was and would be blind; to let go of all her other senses was too scary to think about. And she hadn't forgotten about the incident on the mountain yet either.

The others had given up trying to teach her, but Yamamoto was still persistent. As she attempted to swim a little and failed once again, panicking once she lost all her senses, Gokudera exploded, "What the fuck is your problem? So what if you can't feel anything? It's just 15 meters that you have to get over!"

She couldn't say anything back, knowing that he was only frustrated, so she gritted her teeth and continued trying. She plunged back under the water, trying to get used to the bleary dimmed sounds and feel of the water pressing against her. She moved her arms the way Yamamoto had shown her and kicked her legs and moved forward a little. But without a clear picture of where she was, she couldn't help but wonder if she had died and not even known it. Everything was dark, the sounds around her were muted, and all she could feel was wet.

She came back up to the surface and in that moment; Gokudera caught a glimpse of the eyes behind her bangs again. He froze. And then he slid into the water, shoving Yamamoto aside and calmly started to teach her again.

In the end it turned out that the girl had been excused from the swimming class, but she was able to surprise everyone when she successfully swam 15 meters just like the rest of the girls. Granted, she was using the wrong type of swimming form, but it was still impressive for a girl who a day ago, had been terrified of the water.

* * *

><p>Gokudera leaned back and breathed out a mouthful of smoke. As he did, he remembered Mio's eyes. They were an unremarkable brown, similar to the Tenth's eyes. But the amount of emotion they held was astonishing. Her eyes held all the emotions she was feeling, laid out clearly for anyone who was looking to see. They were clear and honest, and made him feel almost sympathetic for the girl.<p>

He inhaled from his cigarette again and held it in his lungs for a moment before breathing out. He wouldn't feel sympathy for a girl who didn't want any. All he could do was support her by treating her as an equal.

* * *

><p>Mio wandered around, sorting through the different sounds and scents surrounding her. She had been visited by an enthusiastic Kyoko and Haru who had forced her into a yukata and then dragged her out of her apartment. They had gotten to the summer festival but then she had been separated from the other two at some point.<p>

"Hey! Buy some, damn it!" a familiar voice near her said angrily. She carefully made her way over and sniffed the air curiously. Chocolate bananas! And that familiar smokey scent that could only be Gokudera.

"Gokudera-kun? What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Buy a chocolate banana you stupid bi-" he froze, "Oi…woman?"

She searched her purse for 400 yen and handed it to the stricken boy, taking a banana in exchange. Biting down, savored the delicious taste and then walked over to where Yamamoto was and asked, "Takeshi-kun, what are you guys doing running your own stand? Idiot over there forgot how to speak."

The baseball player grinned, "Kiyo-chan! You look cute in that yukata! As for this stand, we had to pay back some debts from before."

"Ah really? Aw too bad, I wanted to hang out with everyone today." She frowned.

Yamamoto grabbed her hand and led her around the stand, "How about you help us with the stand then?"

"Can I?"

"Of course! We'll take the orders and handle the money and you can dip the bananas in chocolate when the orders come in."

"May I have one?" a familiar voice asked.

"Coming!" she replied cheerfully.

As Gokudera handed the banana to the person, she heard a surprised "Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto!"

"T-tenth!"

"Yo Tsuna."

"Tenth, I'm here too!" Mio waved. She turned away to focus on her task at hand and was rather focused until she felt rather than heard the enormous presence of a certain person she knew all too well.

She whirled around to hear her the boys already confronting the prefect.

"50,000 yen."

"Don't tell me…"

"The placement fee goes to the Disciplinary Committee?"

"It's for our activity funds. If you can't pay it, I'll crush your stand." Mio bristled at the arrogant tone the boy used. But she could already hear the sounds of a stand near theirs being crushed.

She put down the banana she was holding and made as if to leave the stand. Yamamoto grabbed her hand, "Kiyo-chan, what are you doing?"

"Takeshi-kun, I have to go after him." Her tone of voice pleaded with him. "You understand, right?" His hand went slack and then disappeared and he sighed, "Just…don't hurt yourself."

She nodded grimly and then left to follow the Disciplinary Committee head. She made sure to match the pace of the crowd around her so as to not attract any suspicion. She could clearly make out where Hibari was, his killing intent only increased in crowds. She followed him till the edge of the festival and then although she knew she would be found out, decided to continue following him.

Sure enough, they had only taken a few steps when the boy turned to face her, growling, "What do you want herbivore?"

She responded coolly, "I want a fair one-on-one fight with you."

She blinked in surprise. The killing intent that the boy had emanated had suddenly disappeared almost altogether. "I have no desire to fight a weak herbivore such as yourself." He said before turning to walk away.

The comment only served to infuriate her further, "Well this herbivore is challenging you. Are you going to forfeit by walking away?"

The killing intent came back even more intensely and she bravely stood her ground. "I'll bite you to death."

She heard the tonfas come out and whipped out her gun, firing an experimental blank to get a general idea of his speed. Before she could even think about her next move, he was already next to her, tonfas raised. She threw herself backwards, away from his attacks, and then aimed at where he had been, firing a quick shot. The bullet met thin air as Hibari lithely avoided it and charged at her. She continued backing up, fiddling with another gun in her pocket while continuing to shoot at Hibari.

Unfortunately, she had come too close to the path's edge and tripped over a tree root behind her, dropping her gun in the process. Cursing, she scrambled out of Hibari's reach and finally brought out what she had been messing with in her jacket pocket. It had originally been another gun, but she had had it remodeled so that it could be taken into pieces and then reassembled to resemble a cane. A white cane. As Hibari lunged at her, she managed to hold up the cane in the nick of time and defend herself from his attack.

The boy was faster however, and his other tonfa came crashing into her side, knocking all the breath out of her. She gasped in pain, but knocked his tonfa away, holding the cane in front of her protectively. She clearly had the disadvantage in close combat however, because a mere second later, he had knocked the cane out of her hands and had a tonfa pressed against her throat. She remained perfectly silent and he dug the weapon in deeper in irritation. Her gasp of pain seemed to satisfy him and he pulled away. As he walked away, he said over his shoulder, "Herbivore, do not bother challenging me while you are this weak."

Mio coughed, rolling over and felt around for her weapons. The gun went back in her pocket, but she held the cane in her lap for a moment. The wave of nostalgia that washed over her made her smile bitterly.

* * *

><p><em>She had her eyes shut tightly and was slowly taking little steps forward, the cane in her hand hesitantly tapping the ground in front of her. She could hear the encouraging words of the doctor next to her and continued to move around the room slowly. As she made her way to a wall and carefully felt the texture with her fingers, she asked, "Doctor, will I ever be able to see again?"<em>

_The silence in the room was stifling as the man carefully thought of a response, "The technology that we currently have is unable to cure your eyes, however in the future as new technologies are invented, there may be a solution."_

_The girl bowed her head after a moment and then slowly made her way out of the office. As she tapped her way down the long hallway to her hospital room, she felt tears pooling in her now useless eyes. She attempted to speed up so that no one would see her crying, but only ended up tripping over herself. The cane went clattering out of her hands and she frantically searched for it on her knees. Behind her she could hear footsteps and then someone was next to her, helping her onto her feet. The cane was placed into her hands and the doctor said reassuringly, "Take it slow Kiyomizu-san. You will get over this. You're a strong young girl."_

_She turned away so he wouldn't see the tears that threatened to spill over and continued walking back to her room. As soon as she was back in the familiar silent room, the tears came pouring out. She curled up against the door and sobbed her heart out. All sorts of questions and thoughts filled her mind._

"_Why haven't my parents come to see me yet? How will I survive in the future? What am I supposed to do now?" And the question that made her cry hardest "Why did this have to happen to me?"_

_She continued crying until there were no more tears left in her and then wiping her face determinedly, she stood up and started practicing with the cane. The bed was over there, five steps away from the door. The dresser to its right. The couch three steps to the left of the bed, right next to the window._

_She would survive this and then one day she would get her sight back. And life would go on. And until then, she wouldn't cry because of self loathing again. No matter the hardships she was put through, she would stay strong and push on by herself._

* * *

><p>And she had kept that promise to herself up until the accident with the bridge and her confession to Gokudera. The boy made her feel safer and warmer and her walls of defense seemed to just crumple when she was around him. She sighed and got to her feet, disassembling the cane and tucking it into her jacket pocket.<p>

Her defeat led her to only one conclusion. She needed more training, much more. So she would train. And then she would come back and demand a rematch from the boy and beat him. Whether it took days, weeks, months, or years; she would definitely beat him someday.

She slowly made her way back to the stand they were running, but was stopped when she heard a familiar voice yelling angrily. "Tenth?" she thought. Turning, she ran towards the voice, only to hear explosions. Quickening her pace, she emerged in a clearing where the sounds of an outnumbered fight were taking place. She loaded one of her guns and took careful aim, taking care to avoid her friends and Hibari, who oddly enough was fighting as well.

Together, the five of them made quick work of the attackers and then after a brief tussle with Hibari and the arrival of Haru and Kyoko, they settled down to watch the fireworks. And although Mio couldn't see anything, she thought that the sounds of explosions in the sky were the most beautiful she had ever heard.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Omigosh I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I was on a writing streak for my other story Collared and I completely neglected this one. (Plus I had midterms and I was watching Rebocon videos cause I'm obsessed). Anyways, luckily, my muse has come back and I've got tons of ideas. :D

Tada! Like I told everyone that reviewed, the whole eye thing wasn't as big of a deal as people thought it was haha. But it is important later! Sorta. So this is the last chapter for the daily life arc. Starting next chapter, it gets serious! Look forward to it! Kufufu~

Thanks to everyone who reviewed who wasn't logged in or was anonymous. I wish I could reply to your reviews but since I can't, I'm thanking you here. Thank you so much for giving me encouragement to keep writing!

As always, please read and review~


	6. Chapter 6: Fight

"Hey, are you Kiyomizu Mio?"

"Eh? Who are you? I've never heard your-" She jumped back warily when the person suddenly growled menacingly "-voice before."

The presence of the person seemed to grow greatly and he roared like a lion before replying, "You're next on the list then, byon. Didn't know a little girl like you would be so high on the list."

"What list and what are you talking about? Who are you?" she demanded, reaching into her jacket.

"Let's play a game. It's called let me take your teeth, byon!"

Ducking under a vicious swipe, Mio backed up hurriedly, loading her special bullets into her gun. She fired a warning shot to ward off the attacker and then backed up into an area of the park that she was comfortable with. Straining to listen to the sounds around her, she picked up the sound of a twig breaking and whirled around to fire a shot. She heard a yelp of pain and fired again, adjusting her aim for the legs. There was the sound of someone heavy collapsing on the ground and she cautiously inched closer to them. "Why did you attack me and how do you know my name?" she asked.

There was no answer and she listened closely. The person on the ground was panting heavily like an animal. She sniffed the air and realized that the scent of the poison in the bullets she had fired was still contained in the little capsules. Immediately, she jumped back and fired another shot at the body who at the same time came hurtling towards her. The person had gotten faster however and in a swift motion, pinned her to the ground. She pressed the gun in her hand to his side and growled, "Get off or I'll shoot."

The boy above her laughed and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. She heard something crunch and howled in pain. He was crushing her hand! She kicked weakly, trying to get free, but the boy's weight pinned her down. "Now, let's see, how many teeth do I need from you, byon."

Teeth? That's right! She could still bite! As a hand came towards her mouth, she lunged forward and clamped down on it, biting as hard as she could, drawing blood. There was a snarl of pain and then she was backhanded viciously, causing her to yelp. The boy pried her mouth open, making sure to keep her still, and muttered, "Seven teeth. Don't worry, this won't hurt too much, byon."

As the first tooth was ripped out of her mouth, she screamed in pain. Her good hand flailed and pummeled the boy wildly, but he ignored it and continued with his task. "I HAVE TO EAT WITH THOSE YOU FUCKER!" she yelled, her mouth filling with blood.

He plucked the last tooth out and grinned "There, that's done byon! Too bad this was a miss."

He got up and started to walk off, but was stopped when her leg shot out to trip him. Mio slowly got up on her feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. "You bastard…I don't know what your problem is, but you're not going to just walk off after doing something like this."

She grabbed her gun in her left hand and clumsily loaded it. Taking aim at the boy, she fired a few poison bullets. He laughed, "You suck, byon! You totally missed me!"

She ignored him and started running towards him. His killing intent rose up again and this time he beat his chest. "How about I crush your other hand too?"

She darted past the blundering boy and crashed into a playground. She aimed at a weak link and shot again, before giving the entire thing a kick. It wobbled precariously and then came crashing down on the boy who in his current form couldn't get out of the way fast enough. This time, she was sure she had knocked him out and walked over to him. She pried open his mouth but flinched. The boy had fangs! Large canines that were completely unnatural.

There was no way she could pull those out. So instead she grabbed the uniform he was wearing and tore a piece off. This way she would at least be able to get someone to identify the attacker later on. She tenderly felt the empty gaps in her teeth with her tongue and winced. The pain in her now crushed hand was also pulsing and getting to her. She felt herself slowly losing consciousness and crumpled to the ground.

* * *

><p>"Big brother! Kiyomizu-chan! Are you all right?" Tsuna burst into the room.<p>

"Ahh, Sawada you're quick. I look really pathetic like this."

Mio didn't respond, but turned over in her hospital bed so that she wouldn't be facing the boy.

"How are your injuries?" Reborn asked.

"Six bones broken, seven cracked and I lost five of my teeth."

Gloomily, Mio replied, "Most of the bones in my right hand were broken and I lost seven of my teeth."

As Tsuna shrieked, Ryohei mused, "Though having said that, I've broken more bones and teeth during boxing. But, the guy that came looking for a fight…although he appeared careless and was a little injured, he is probably a really strong guy."

"Eh? You saw the attacker?"

"Yup. He even knew my name. He wore the Kokuyo Junior High uniform, from the next town."

Mio sat up and pulled out the piece of cloth that she had taken, "Ryohei-san, is this what he was wearing?"

"Yeah, that's it! Did you get attacked by the same person Kiyomizu?"

"He managed to pin me down during our fight and took my teeth and crushed my hand, but I knocked him out right afterwards and took this from him."

"Sawada, you better be careful too."

"You're saying that too! This has nothing to do with me!" Tsuna defended himself.

"Tenth, please be careful! That guy was looking for something and he didn't get it, so he's going to continue attacking people!"

"But damn…" Ryohei mused, "I really want that kind of punch in my club!"

The girl chuckled a little. The boy was simple but enthusiastic. But there were more important issues to be thought about. She got out of the bed and slipped her shoes back on; luckily the nurses had allowed her to stay in her own clothing. She excused herself and left the room. The hospital outside was buzzing with noise, the slight undertones of panic making the atmosphere heavy. She continued to stride down the hallways, searching for a place where she could think quietly.

"So, nobody's seen any sign of the head?" That voice...it was Kusakabe! Hibari's second in command. If anyone knew anything about what was going on, it would be Hibari. She followed the boy as he walked down the hallways, listening to his conversation discreetly.

"Yeah. Like always, he's probably gone after the trail of the enemy. So really, it's only a matter of time before the culprits are totally annihilated."

Mio frowned and caught up to the two Disciplinary Committee members. "Don't you think that's a bit naïve? Hibari-san might be incredibly strong, but there's clearly something deeper going on."

Kusakabe frowned, "Kiyomizu Mio. What business do you have here?"

She rolled her eyes, a gesture that she had yet to stop using, despite the fact that no one could see her. She bared her teeth for the boy to see, "I lost seven of my teeth to one of the fuckers that are attacking this town. And there's no way he's simply going around attacking people randomly. It's all being done very systematically."

The second in command took her by the shoulder and took her to a quiet area where they could talk. "What do you know about this?"

She shook her head, "I wish I knew more. The guy who attacked me is supposedly wearing the Kokuyo Junior High uniform. He's following some sort of list that determines how many teeth you lose, and he's got some crazy canines of his own."

"I don't see why he would be targeting you of all people. You are the only girl out of the 20 or so people who have been attacked."

Mio pounded her good fist into the wall angrily, "So what if I'm a girl? What does that change exactly? And you, are you guys just going to let Hibari-san handle it? What if he gets hurt? What if it's too much for him to handle on his own?"

At their silence, she continued, "Hibari-san may seem invincible right now but there is always someone stronger out there."

Kusakabe bowed his head, "I'm ashamed to have been caught up by my own cowardliness. Thank you Kiyomizu-san. I will leave now."

She bowed to them as they left and gritted her teeth in frustration. There was something vital that she was missing; something that would make all the puzzle pieces click together.

She furiously tried to fit the pieces of information she had together. The attackers were from Kokuyo, they were trying to _find_ someone using a list of some sort, and they were using teeth to make themselves known. These bastards were taunting someone to come and find them, that much was certain. What she couldn't figure out was the order of the people on their list; how did that correspond to what they were doing?

"Make way! Another Nami High student got beat up!"

"It's the assistant head prefect, Kusakabe-san!"

"They said he was beaten up right outside the hospital!"

Mio snarled angrily and made her decision, "Screw this. The attackers are from Kokuyo. Regardless of what they want, if I go there, I'll get an answer."

She quickly made her way back to her room where Ryohei was still talking to Kyoko. Grabbing her jacket, she excused herself quickly. She struggled a little to slip the jacket on, what with the cast she had around her right hand, but managed it. Making sure her weapons were still firmly tucked into the pockets on the inside, she started making her way towards Kokuyo. Her internal map guided her quickly and efficiently towards the abandoned amusement park, and she was glad that she had taken the time to explore the areas around Namimori.

* * *

><p>Using her new white cane to avoid tripping and walking into things, Mio made her way through vegetation and debris towards the building in the amusement park that seemed the most ominous. As she walked in through the entrance, the overwhelming smell of blood hit her nose and she stepped back in alarm. Sniffing the air, she followed the trail of blood to what seemed like a wall. She felt it cautiously and recoiled when she touched something cold. She reached out gingerly and felt it again. Metal. She gave it a tug and something slid down. A ladder?<p>

She clumsily disassembled the cane and tucked it back into her jacket and then grasped the rung above her. Climbing was a bit of a hassle since she couldn't use her right hand, but she made it to the top eventually. Sniffing, she resumed following the bloody trail, assuming correctly that it was the path Hibari had taken. Again she came to another ladder and painstakingly climbed it. By the time she had reached the top, her left arm was aching and her right hand was throbbing in pain as well. She sat to catch her breath for a moment and then got up and continued following the trail of blood.

Just ahead of her, there was the sound of combat. She hurried forward, making sure to remain absolutely quiet. She hid behind the doorway and listened carefully. It was definitely Hibari fighting against someone, but to her dismay, the prefect was slowly being pushed back. His movements were slow and jerky, with none of the grace and strength he usually carried. She sniffed the air; there was the faint scent of something that resembled sakura, but it was an imitation. All living things had a distinct aura or rather presence that allowed her to sense them, but this imitation wasn't nearly as potent nor as beautifully delicate as the real thing.

She loaded one of her guns with a special bullet and pointed the muzzle into the room surreptitiously. Aiming as well as she could, she shot the bullet straight at Hibari. And then cursed. She had forgotten the silencer!

"Oya? What's this? I hadn't sensed another person come in. How unusual. Who are you my dear?" a foreign voice asked smoothly.

Knowing the game was up, she revealed herself and walked in slowly. "I don't think I have to answer any questions from an asshole like you."

"Kufufu" he chuckled, delighted with the new arrival, "Perhaps you know her?" he asked, kicking the body on the ground.

There was a snarl as the boy looked up to see her. She raised a hand in greeting, casually stating, "Yo."

"What are you doing here herbivore?"

"Ah well" she said slowly, "After I had seven of my teeth yanked out by a brute, I wanted to get proper revenge, so I came here. Just in time I see; you're not looking too good."

"This is beyond you herbivore. Get out."

Fury replaced the calm look on her face, "I will not you bastard. There's no reason as to why I should listen to you. I came here of my own accord and I sure as hell, am not letting you chase me out just because of your ridiculous pride."

She then turned to the other boy in the room and said, "Having said all that, could you let go of his hair? I doubt that's very comfortable for him and he seems to be suffering enough, don't you think?"

The boy laughed loudly, "Kuahaha you are truly amusing. But, do you think you will be able to take me down?"

She raised her gun at the boy and frowned a little, "To be honest, no. You're obviously either pretty talented or a cheating bastard if you could beat Hibari-san to that extent." She smiled, "But hell if that means I won't try anyway."

She pulled the trigger. At that moment, a series of things happened. The boy twirled his weapon furiously to deflect the bullet that wasn't aimed at him. Hibari lunged with his tonfas to attack the boy once again. And the bullet hit the angry prefect straight in the back. He stopped for a moment, staggering, and then straightened with a furious look on his face. He spoke quietly, as if to contain his fury, "Herbivore, I hate owing favors so get out before I kill you."

Mio ignored him in favor of changing magazines and reloading her gun. However in that brief second, the boy had managed to get right next to her. Something cut her face lightly and she flinched, stepping back, her gun pointed straight at the boy's temple. He merely smiled, "Now, let's take a look inside your mind."

There was a prickly buzzing feeling in her head and she shook it in attempt to make it go away. This was no time to allow herself to be distracted. She pointed the gun at the boy once more and pulled the trigger. Or tried to. No matter how hard she attempted to move that one finger, it refused to listen to her. "Oya oya what's this, have we met before, my dear?" the boy asked surprised.

She growled angrily, "Of course not! I think I would've remembered meeting a psychopath! What did you do to me you bastard?"

"Kufufu nothing, I'm just attempting to possess you.

"That's not-" a buzz of pain made her bend over gasping "nothing, you asshole."

"That mouth of yours is rather dirty isn't it? I prefer my playthings to be clean, so first let's get rid of that habit of yours, yes?" The boy replied.

She grabbed his arm before he could do anything and squeezed, "What's…your name?"

He raised an eyebrow quizzically, "I hardly think that's your most pressing concern right now, is it?"

She squeezed his arm more tightly, "Your…name…"

"Kufufu well since you have provided so much entertainment, I'll tell you. I am Rokudo Mukuro."

That was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness. _Rokudo Mukuro_.

* * *

><p>"<em>Doctor, where are my parents?"<em>

_There was silence. "Your parents…I'm sure they're just…" the doctor cleared his throat and then replied professionally, "I'm unsure as to where they are at the moment Kiyomizu-san, however I believe that they will come for you eventually."_

_At the time, she was hopeful that what the doctor had said would come true. Now she knew that it was simply the smoothing over of words from a man who knew that her parents were not coming back for her._

_She was partially glad that she was blind; she was unable to see the looks of pity the adults around her were surely sending her. If she had seen those looks, she would have been unable to continue on with life, would've been held back by the overwhelming sympathy sent her way._

_But at the same time, she still wished she could see. Why was it that she was left like this? What had she done to be punished so cruelly? And what had her parents done so that they had gotten away so easily? Without any regrets? It was unfair. It was so incredibly unfair she wanted to scream and throw tantrums. But that wouldn't change anything and it wouldn't do her any good. So she kept the rage bottled up and did her best to move on with her life. But she never forgot how she felt when she was betrayed. And when it happened time and time again, she merely stored all the pain away deep in her memories._

* * *

><p>"<em>Mio-chan! Come share this cake with us!" the woman said cheerfully.<em>

_Mio made her way out of her room to the kitchen, leaving her cane behind. She was familiar with the layout of the apartment by now. As she approached the kitchen, she heard the couple laughing and chattering away. She quietly walked in and greeted them. They smiled back and handed her the piece of cake. "Mio-chan, you need to eat more; you're skin and bones!"_

_She smiled and nodded, eating some of the cake. "And you needn't be so reserved around us all the time. Just be yourself."_

_The girl nodded quietly. After her parents' betrayal, there was no way she would so easily open her heart to someone else. It was easy for her to fake acceptance and happiness. She had let her bangs grow out in the hospital and they now completely covered her eyes, hiding any emotion that she was feeling. She would not so easily be fooled again._

_But the days went on and the couple continued to treat her kindly, almost as if she was their own child. She began to relax in their presence, began thinking of herself not as a foster child but as someone who had been accepted. Perhaps it had just been her parents who were able to overlook family ties so easily. Maybe it was okay to trust someone._

_It was the middle of the night; Mio was just drifting off to sleep, when she heard a scream. Jolting out of bed, she ran to the couple's room where the scream had come from. Inside she heard the woman screaming, "You bastard! Calling out that brat's name as you climaxed! You pedophilic bastard! What's the meaning of this?"_

_The man tried to calm her down, "It was a mistake! I wasn't thinking and the name just slipped out!"_

_There was a slap, "I knew it was suspicious for you to have suddenly wanted to adopt a child! And a girl! You said you never wanted a kid! I should've known!"_

_The door slammed open and the woman came storming out. She came to a stop upon seeing Mio and with the fury of a woman scorned, slapped the girl. "You bitch! This is all your fault! This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come into our lives! Fine! You can live with him! I'm leaving!"_

"_Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Forgive me! Don't blame this on the girl!" the man called, chasing after the woman._

_The next day, the foster home was called and she was deposited back into her old room in the orphanage. From then on, her mind and heart were locked away. No one would be trusted. They were all potential traitors, waiting for the right moment to rip apart her already bleeding heart._

_Time and time again, she tried to adjust to her multiple new homes, would settle in, and then would be kicked out again. What was family but a convenient way to group people together? She didn't need it. She didn't need any of it._

* * *

><p>"<em>You've had a hard time, haven't you?" Mukuro asked.<em>

"_I don't need your pity" Mio replied._

_The boy chuckled, "Why don't you open your eyes and take a look?"_

_She opened her eyes and they widened in shock. She could see. The world around her was imaginary, but it was in color and vivid and she could see it. "Kufufu how is it, being able to see?"_

_Mio whirled around and through her bangs, saw a boy. He had dark indigo hair that spiked up in the back, was rather tall, and was wearing what she assumed was the Kokuyo uniform. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. While one was a regular blue, the other was a blood crimson, the kanji character for six inscribed in it. He chuckled, "It's not polite to stare my dear. In any case, I would think you would want to take a look at yourself first."_

_A wave of his hand and there was a pond, the water crystal clear. She took hesitant steps over and stared down into it. The girl staring back at her was just as she remembered herself to look. She had lost the baby fat in her cheeks over the years and was leaner, but she was the same. "You-" she turned back to the boy, "How did you…"_

_He raised an eyebrow, "How did I do this?"_

_She nodded mutely. A delighted laugh escaped him, "It's quite easy for an illusionist of my caliber. Something was wrong with your eyes, but with my illusions, I was able to fix it, although only in your dreams. If we were closer perhaps, I could give you your sight back in real life." A calculating tone entered his voice, "Is that something you desire?"_

_It was. She wanted to be able to see like everyone else. But illusions weren't real, and they would tie her to this man who had oddly colored eyes and a cruel voice. So taking one last look around her, she closed her eyes again and whispered, "No, I don't need it."_

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

After rereading my story, I've gone crazy and decided to completely change the direction it was heading in. Although I guess if I hadn't said anything, none of you would technically have known. :P Just thought I'd keep my readers informed. Basically, I'm getting tired of writing "In the Dark" and "Collared" and so I'm looking for ways to end them reasonably so that I can start on all the new ideas that I have haha. Mind you, that doesn't mean I'm going to throw crap endings out there and be done with it! I'm ending "Collared" the same way I planned to originally (almost finished planning everything out, just need to write it out), but "In the Dark" is going through some pretty drastic changes in the developing department. Anyways! Just wanted to keep everyone updated. :)

Lately, I've been writing more and more of the original manga conversations and stuff into my fanfics and it feels like if I don't include them, things will be confusing. So please put up with me as I go through a minor writing style change and figure out what the crap I'm doing. :D

Please read and review as always~


	7. Chapter 7: The Right Decision

The dream faded away and she was back in reality. She sat up slowly, smelling rank air and stone and blood. She wasn't injured, so that had to mean that someone else was in there with her. Hesitantly, she whispered, "Hibari-san?"

She received a growl in reply. And then "Herbivore, earlier, what did you shoot at me?"

"It was a special bullet I made. I injected different types of poison cooking into special bullet capsules. The two I shot at you were for healing and pain numbing as well as an energy boost. They're only effective for a small period of time though."

The boy didn't reply back and she assumed that he was licking his wounds. She sat back and blinked slowly. The colors from her dream were still vividly imprinted in her mind. Her heart suddenly started aching. Why hadn't she accepted the offer while she could? Would it be so bad to be tied to that boy? What difference would it make when had her sight back? Clenching a fist, she resisted the urge to lash out. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, she got comfortable and waited.

She wasn't sure how long they had been trapped, but soft chirping alerted her to the presence of something outside. "Birds was done in! Birds was done in!" A bird that could speak? Before she could do anything, Hibari shifted and spoke softly, "Remain silent herbivore."

The bird immediately quieted down. She could hear it fluttering over them curiously. Quietly, so quietly that at first she couldn't tell if she was hearing things or not, Hibari began to sing under his breath. Was that the Namimori school song? Shrugging to herself, she relaxed again. To her surprise however, the bird had begun to chirp along with the boy, its high pitched voice echoing around them.

A while later, another noise made her sit up in alarm. Explosions and a familiar gruff voice shouting angrily; could that be Gokudera? She concentrated and listened to what was happening.

"Holding back, are you? I'll end it with this." That was Gokudera's voice for sure! She opened her mouth to call to him when all of a sudden, he started gasping in pain. Straining her ears, she caught him muttering, "Shit! At a time like this…!"

Another set of footsteps was approaching the dynamite user. Those footsteps! She knew those! It was that bastard with the large canines! "Chance is mine!"

She couldn't tell what had happened; only that Gokudera was in pain. Meanwhile the two opponents were speaking to each other.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, 'cept I thought I was gonna die."

"Hyahahaha! How pathetic you look."

"Fool."

The sound of Gokudera collapsing and tumbling down a flight of stairs made her wince, but the two that were fighting him only laughed. "Lamerz!"

Fuming angrily, she opened her mouth to call to him; but before she could, the small bird started chirping again. Happily, it started singing the Namimori school song that Hibari had taught it moments ago. Gokudera starting chuckling to himself and a stick of dynamite went rolling towards where Mio and Hibari were trapped. She barely had enough time to raise her arms to protect herself before the entire thing exploded around them.

"Hyahaha what were you aiming for?"

Gokudera grinned, "The only guy who'd love our lame school anthem has to be you, right…"

"What? This guy…"

"Namimori Junior High's head prefect…"

"What's this, byon? That girl is there too!"

"Oi, you stupid girl, what the hell are you doing here?" Gokudera growled.

"Getting some revenge, you got a problem with that?" she shot back immediately.

"Che. Don't you look well?" Gokudera grimaced.

"Hyahahahahaha! Are you thinking that these half dead brats are going to save you?"

Mio rolled her eyes and whipped out her gun, firing immediately. She'd had plenty of time to take aim in her mind, and since the boy she had fought earlier wasn't emanating any animal instinct, it was safe to assume that he would be caught unawares. The poison bullet went straight into his open mouth. He caught it in the nick of time and then bit down sharply, snapping it in half. Immediately, the poison began seeping out, and he coughed and spat it out miserably. "What the fuck was that, byon?" Already it was taking effect, numbing his mouth.

A low growl told her to back off, so she put her gun away and rushed over to Gokudera. Hibari stepped forward, commenting idly, "I could have gotten out on my own, but never mind." He glanced at the two enemies, "Shall I take care of those two animals?"

"Whatever you like" Gokudera smirked.

Spitting out the last of the poison, the boy asked, "What's the half dead bastard sleep talking about? I'll settle this guy."

The other new person sighed, "I knew you'd say that."

"I'll fix him up real good. The king of the animal world. LION CHANNEL!" A pause. "What the fuck? How dare you do this to my lion channel? What was in that bullet, you bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

"Woof. Is the puppy up first?"

"Shut the fuck up, you ugly duckling!" the boy roared, before charging forward.

In three swift movements, Hibari had sent the boy flying out the window. "Ken!" the other boy shouted.

"You're next, then." Hibari said calmly. "I'll bite you to death."

* * *

><p>"Hey Gokudera-kun, if you're here, does that mean the others are too?" Mio asked curiously, as she helped the two injured boys stumble towards where Mukuro would be.<p>

He grunted, "Of course. Tenth personally came himself to deal with this problem."

"Ah. I see." She mumbled, "So you didn't think about asking me to come with you?"

"Stupid woman, you're here aren't you?"

She nodded slowly, "Guess I am…"

"Anyways! More importantly, we have to support Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed, pushing her away.

Hibari, who was being supported on his other side, growled, "Herbivore, be _silent_." He then addressed Mio, "Other herbivore, can you hear where those herbivores are?"

"They've been above us for awhile now. The ladder should be around here, if I remember correctly."

Sure enough, there it was. They struggled up the rusted piece of metal. At the top, Hibari was about to press on, but the bomber staggered, clutching his wound. "Shit!"

Grabbing him by the arm, the girl helped him up, grumbling, "You shouldn't have pushed me away in the first place if you were in pain."

There were familiar shrieks, and Mio urged them on faster. "Eeek! Stop it! Help me!"

"That's not much of a plan, Mukuro." A small baby voice said, "I am an exceptional home tutor, you know."

They came to the door, and took stock of the situation. Mukuro was threatening Tsuna with what seemed to be snakes. They weren't fake illusions either, these creatures radiated with life. Tsuna was attempting to avoid them, while Mukuro watched from a safe position.

Whipping out her gun, Mio loaded two special bullets for each of them. She fired at Hibari and Gokudera, and they straightened and rushed into the fray. Mio reloaded her gun with another poison bullet and entered the room more cautiously, unsure about her surroundings.

Hibari started by throwing his tonfa directly at where Mukuro was standing. The boy blocked, sending the weapon spinning off to the side. "Boss, please take cover!" Gokudera shouted, tossing his dynamite in Tsuna's direction. The explosions tore apart the snakes.

"Sorry I'm late" Gokudera grinned.

"Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun! Eh? Even Kiyomizu-chan?" Tsuna shouted, relieved.

"Do you understand Mukuro? There's no reason why I would be bringing up Tsuna alone." Reborn said, smirking.

Hibari suddenly kicked Gokudera down, shoving him out of the way. "Now we're even."

Mio caught him hastily and propped him up against a wall. "Boss, Gokudera-kun can't fight anymore, so I'll cover for him!"

"Eh? No, you don't have to do that…I mean…you shouldn't really be involved in all this fighting…"

Bitterly, the girl thought to herself, "Of course…I'm not really a part of this family after all." Biting her lip to prevent herself from saying anything unnecessary, she bowed to him, "Please let me help. I'll…leave afterwards."

"What's this? One after another from the outfield? What is Chikusa doing down there, hm…?"

Gokudera grinned, "If you mean the spectacles freak, he's on the lower floors with the animal freak. Having a nice break together."

"I see."

"Incredible Gokudera-kun! Are you all right?" Tsuna shouted.

"Yeah…I'm fine…Oh, I wasn't the one who defeated them though…" the boy responded.

Mio raised her gun in Mukuro's direction, having pinpointed Mukuro's location during all the chatter, causing Tsuna to shriek in alarm. Ignoring him, she said, "Rokudo Mukuro. This bullet won't kill you, but I hope it'll at least make you regret what you've done."

The boy chuckled, "But my dear, is it possible for you to shoot me, I wonder." He continued on, a sly undertone marking his words, "After all, I'm the one who gave you back your sight for that brief moment. Don't you want it back permanently?"

"Eh…you can see Kiyomizu-chan?"

Raising her head proudly, she replied, "I can't and I don't need to. That bastard is trying to tempt me with what he thinks is my weakness." Her grip on her gun tightened and her finger gently fondled the trigger, "But he is _sorely_ mistaken."

"Are you really sure about that? What if you capture me and I get sent back to those horrible Vindice guards. You'll never see me again and your vision may never be cured. Don't tell me you never thought about getting your sight back, my dear?"

Her throat closed up as she attempted to deny the statement. The boy laughed, "I thought so. Well then, let go of the gun, my dear."

Hand shaking, the voice of an angry silver haired boy didn't even register. She shook off the selfish thoughts with a little difficulty and pulled the trigger. The bullet went zooming towards the boy who dodged it with easy, having had plenty of time to prepare himself for the attack. Mio frowned and was about to fire again when a tonfa went slamming into her stomach, knocking her back. "Useless herbivore, do not waste my time."

Hibari bent over to retrieve his other tonfa and looked up, "Are you ready to repent?"

"What's this? How frightening." Mukuro chuckled. "But, please, don't get in the way right now. For one thing, you shouldn't even be standing. How many bones in your body have I broken?"

"Are those your final words?"

"Kufufu interesting things you say. Wouldn't it be better if we made a pact?" At the prefect's look, Mukuro shrugged, "No choice, then. Let's dispose of you first." He charged forward, "It'll all be over in an instant!"

The two met and to her chagrin, all Mio could make out was the clash of weapon against weapon. The two boys were clearly at levels way above her. She clutched her stomach and cursed to herself from her position on the ground. Why was she always so useless at the critical moments? Why couldn't she do anything more? How could she possibly keep her place in the family if she couldn't do anything for it? Who would want her in their family? Useless useless useless.

"So, how long does your instant last?"

"He really is incredibly strong! That's Hibari-san!" Tsuna said.

"Do not take this one lightly, Mukuro. He's growing a lot stronger than you think."

"I see. That's how it is, then. If he wasn't injured, the outcome of our duel might be questionable." He smiled cruelly, "This is a waste of time. I'm going to finish you off quickly."

The faint scent of the fake sakura spread through the air again, and Mio frowned. Using the same dirty trick twice, had this boy no sense of honor?

"Sakura? He's making use of Hibari-san's sakura-kura disease!" Tsuna cried indignantly.

"Kufufu. Come, kneel before me once again."

"No! Hibari-san!"

The boy seemed to stagger forward, and then immediately sprang forward, ramming his tonfa into his enemy's stomach.

"Heheh. Too naïve." Gokudera held up a small bag. "I got this from Shamal when we came. The prescription for sakura-kura disease."

Gokudera was much more useful than she was. He knew what needed to be done and then did it without hesitation or error. Why couldn't she be like that?

Hibari struck at Mukuro with all his rage, sending the man flying back, coughing blood. The scent of sakura disappeared and there was silence. Then Tsuna began babbling. "The sakura were an illusion! In other words…this means…"

"It's finally over." Reborn said.

At his words, Tsuna finally seemed to grasp the situation, and collapsed. "Its…it's over…now we can go home!" Getting up, he made his way to Hibari. "Hi-hibari-san? Are you all right?

The boy didn't answer and fell forward, already unconscious. Mio forced herself up and went over to the boy, feeling his pulse. It was rather fast for someone who was unconscious. She frowned. "I'm not sure about the side effects of shooting him with those bullets twice in such a small period of time. But then again, I'm not really sure about how much time has elapsed since we first got here until now."

"I thought his movements in the beginning were much more energetic, but he's been fighting unconsciously since about halfway through. Whatever you gave him must've worn off by then. Well, regardless, it must have been very vexing for him to lose that first time." Reborn said.

"We need to hurry and take everyone to the hospital!" Tsuna cried.

"Don't worry about that. The Vongola's best medical team is on their way here."

"There's no need for a medical team." A voice behind them made them stiffen. Mukuro had woken back up. "Because there will be no one left alive here."

He held up the gun in his hands to his head. "Arrivederci."

Before she could even pick up her gun again, the gun was fired and a body fell to the ground. "No…no way…" Mio mumbled, "Hey…Boss…he didn't…did he just…I didn't hear the bullet…is it…"

"He probably thought he'd rather die than be captured alive." Reborn said solemnly. "It's a shame we couldn't capture him alive, but there's nothing we can do about it now." He continued.

"Finally…we've defeated Mukuro…" Another voice said weakly.

"Sis!"

"Bianchi-san!"

"Thank goodness! Bianchi has regained consciousness."

"Lend me your shoulder?"

"Do I have to?" Gokudera grumbled.

"Just…just for today, okay?"

"Gokudera-kun! Don't go closer!"

As Bianchi coaxed Gokudera into helping her, a fuzzy feeling passed through Mio and she frowned, thinking it was exhaustion. She shook her head a little to get rid of the feeling, but only became more dizzy. She slapped her cheeks, trying to control herself, but the feeling overpowered her. Her eyes rolled up in their sockets and she passed out.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why do you stay with these dirty mafia, my dear?"<em>

"_What…"_

"_We are inside your mind. I apologize for possessing your body once more, but this is all rather crucial."_

"_If you're sorry, why are you doing it in the first place? That doesn't make sense." She growled. "As for your question, I stay with them because they're my family. And they're all I have."_

"_But they're not your real family, are they? In fact, they don't even know what you've been through. Nor do they attempt to learn more about you."_

"_I prefer it that way. I don't want anyone pitying me just because of my past. It's bad enough that people see a blind girl and flip shit."_

"_You claim to be unaffected by your loss of sight, but you seem to react quite violently to the prospect of regaining your sight."_

"_Rokudo Mukuro. If I had a choice, of course I would choose to be able to see again. But I want to do it with my own power, relying on no one else. I believe that when I become strong enough, I'll find a way to cure my sight."_

"_Kufufu but don't you want to see? You may deny it all you want, but secretly, you really want to see as soon as possible, no?"_

_She frowned, "Can you shut up and just get out of my body? I was fine without my sight for this long, I can put up with it."_

_He chuckled, "Perhaps I can persuade you a different way."_

Suddenly she was back in her body. It was moving against her wishes, but it was her body. A quiet laugh drifted into her ears and suddenly her eyes were opening. _"No" she thought numbly, "Don't do this to me! Please no! I don't want to see them yet! Please, no!" _But Mukuro ignored her and pried her eyes open. And instead of darkness, there was something in front of her. Through her bangs, she could see a boy with spiky light brown hair and a pair of warm brown eyes that were currently wide in fear. The boy backed up with a familiar shriek and ran around. Confusing as it was, she could see him in a complete 360 degrees point of view due to Mukuro possessing multiple people at the same time. "Boss…?"

"Kiyomizu-chan! Did you break away from the possession?"

"No…Boss, please run! Run away! I can't control what I'm doing!" she shouted. Her voice came from each of the people Mukuro was possessing, oddly enough.

Mukuro took control again and chuckling, forced her back into herself. _"That should be enough of an incentive to make you want your sight back, shouldn't it?"_

_She shook her head weakly, "I'm not going to become your pawn!"_

"_That is not all I want from you." The words echoed in her head so faintly that she thought she was hearing things. And maybe she was because Mukuro asked, "Are you sure, my dear? This is the last time I will offer."_

"_Yes. I'm sure."_

_There was silence. Silence and darkness. She panicked, "Rokudo Mukuro! You can't possess my body forever!"_

_There was no answer. Cowering in fear, she screamed desperately, "Please! Stop! I don't want this!"_

_Suddenly she felt a pressure to the back of her neck. Against her wishes, her mind blurred and she blacked out._

* * *

><p>She woke up a little later after the fight had ended only to hear Tsuna speaking to the two boys, Ken and Chikusa, who were Mukuro's companions.<p>

"For us, this is nothing byon. Compared to our suffering back then."

"Back then…?"

"We were guinea pigs for human testing by our own family." An angered voice answered.

"I thought so. I was doubting but you guys are part of the Estraneo family that created the forbidden possessing bullet, aren't you?" Reborn said solemnly.

"Forbidden? You guys just labeled it like that for your own convenience."

"Thanks to that, our family members were labeled as brutes and were horribly persecuted by other mafia. As soon as we stepped outside, guns were pointed at us and we were killed like bugs. That just stimulated the adults of the family even more in continuing the experiments to invent special weapons."

"Our friends died one by one. Every day was hell…No matter where we go, how much we struggle, there was no way for us to live."

"But he…all by himself, he destroyed that miserable life. He was quiet and not the kind who stands out. I think that was the first time I heard his voice."

"That time, for the first time since birth, there was a place to go for us." Raw anger fueled the boy named Ken as he crawled forward, "And… we can't have you destroy that!"

"But…I, as well, can't just stay quiet when my friends get hurt…since, that's the place for me to go."

Mio slowly stood up, "Families…really suck…don't they?"

"Eh…Kiyomizu-chan, when did you…?"

She smiled bitterly at the boy, "Boss…I don't think I can follow you anymore. Now that I've heard their story, I can't turn away from them. I can't really describe it, but I feel like I have to go with them…What I need right now isn't friends; I really need someone I can call family. Since Bo- Tsuna can't give me that, I believe it's only right for me to go with these guys. Even though I don't really like that Mukuro bastard…I still feel like I belong with them more…" her head turned to stare in Tsuna's direction, the boy's image imprinted in her mind, "Hey, Boss…you understand, right?"

"But…Kiyomizu-chan…are you sure?"

Before she could respond, chains clamped around the three boys on the ground and started dragging them towards where three men dressed in black robes and bandages were standing quietly. "Wha…?"

"What a quick appearance."

"Who are they?"

"Vindice. They are the enforcer of the commandments in the mafia world and they trial those who cannot be trialed by the law."

"Wait…what are you doing?" Mio's voice rose into a shriek as the three boys were pulled away.

"Don't try, Tsuna. Mio." Reborn warned them.

The three men walked away without a word, their captives firmly secured behind them.

"It will be troublesome to be involved with them…just leave them alone."

"You're saying that much…are they really scary?" Tsuna asked, "What will happen to those three?"

"Their crime will be put on trial and be punished."

"What kind of…punishment?"

"Who knows? But it's nothing light. We don't live in a kind world."

Mio listened to them being carted off, her mouth set in a thin line. Reborn jumped up and kicked her in the back of her head, "Oi stupid Mio. What are you thinking? You're part of the Vongola now. You can't be thinking about the family's enemies."

"What does it mean to be in the Vongola family, Reborn-san?" she asked softly, "You didn't even ask me to come along with you on this mission…just what part of me is accepted in the family?"

Reborn turned, "Useless Tsuna, tell her."

"Eh? Well, I mean…no, I- uh… well, I don't really think of it as a family. I mean we're all friends, right?"

"Well. Useless Tsuna's version of a family is being close friends. That should be enough for you, shouldn't it?" Reborn said.

"Is it, I wonder…" Mio whispered to herself. Raising her voice, she said, "I guess it'll have to be enough for now."

* * *

><p>"You are uncertain of whether or not you belong in this family." Reborn said, not bothering to soften any of his words.<p>

Mio nodded reluctantly, "I don't really know what family is, but I wasn't even included in something so important…I can't possibly belong here, can I?"

"Kiyomizu Mio. You have been through many hardships to come to where you are now. Your strengths and your weaknesses are all built on your past experiences. What you do is up to you. I will not stop you from leaving the family if you believe that is the right choice. Nor will I stop you from going with Mukuro if that is what you want. What you do should be your decision alone."

"It's things like that!" she exclaimed, "It's things like that that make me feel like I'm not needed in this family! If this were a real family, you would stop me wouldn't you? You would say 'no you shouldn't leave', wouldn't you? So…so then why does no one try to stop me?"

"Because we respect your decision and as a family, we want you to grow as much as you possibly can. Remember Mio, the family will always be here and waiting for you if you wish to return."

Sighing in frustration, Mio nodded. She was still unknowledgeable on many things. Maybe families were one of them. For now, she would go with her decision to stay in the family and learn as much as she could.

* * *

><p>Having settled back into their old comfortable camaraderie, they had all decided to attend Yamamoto's baseball game and cheer him on. They managed to secure front row seats and proceeded to cheer loudly for the boy who was clearly the star of the game. Although she wasn't a big fan of baseball, nor did she understand it very well, the feeling of cheering with everyone as a group was nice.<p>

She could feel the gazes of her friends on her every once and awhile, especially Gokudera, who had found out what she had done, and had yelled and lectured at her for hours upon hours while they were eating. She supposed it wasn't his fault, but she really didn't feel like she belonged with the group of boys who didn't really know her; she couldn't help that feeling.

As Yamamoto hit another home run and they all stood up to cheer, Mio felt a prickly feeling in the back of her head and froze. The feeling was the same when Mukuro had tried to possess her. But he should be in prison, shouldn't he? But like magic, the familiar voice echoed through her mind. _"Kufufu I have returned from the other side to greet you, my dear."_

"_Mukuro? What are you…how…aren't you supposed to be in that Vindice something prison?"_

"_Oya oya could it be that you were worried about me?"_

"_Of course not! I was just wondering of course!"_

_He chuckled, "Well, you will be happy to know that while my body may be bound, my mind is not. But enough with these pleasantries, as amusing as they are. I heard you wished to join me?"_

"_I- that was just-"she cleared her throat uncomfortably, "I got caught up in my emotions, okay? You don't have to call me out on it."_

"_And to think I was going to ask you if you would help me with something."_

"_What something?"_

The baseball game ended with Yamamoto's team winning and the crowd exploded, cheering and screaming. Mio cheered as well, but she was focused on the conversation in her mind. What could Mukuro want of her? Was it something important that he would rely on her for?"

"_While I was wandering in my spare time, I stumbled upon something rather interesting. Well, I suppose you could say _someone_ interesting. After getting hit by a car while saving a cat, she lost most of her internal organs. She was abandoned by her parents as well and was on the verge of death so I saved her. It seems that she will be released by the hospital soon and I was hoping perhaps you could pick her up and take care of her for a little while."_

"_And…what would be in it for me?"_

"_What else but your vision, of course! Go ahead and open your eyes my dear."_

She did so and through her bangs could see a boy hitting a home run. Her eyes widened and she quickly shut them.

"_I didn't ask for you to return my vision to me!"_

"_Oya? You didn't want my gift?"_

"_I decided that I would see for myself when I had cured my eyes by myself."_

"_Hmm you do have a latent ability for illusions, my dear. I suppose I am willing to take some time to teach you how to use them. However, in order to learn how to use illusions, it is better if you can see what you are creating. Therefore, I will need to cure your eyes when we are together."_

"_Illusions…then…eventually, I could cure my eyes myself?"_

"_Yes that is a possibility."_

_Without any hesitation, she replied, "I'll do it."_

"_Very well, I will give you the details at a later date. It has been pleasurable doing business with you principessa."_

"_Principessa…?"_

"_It is Italian for princess. Since you have decided you are not a lady, you will be a princess instead…" _His voice slowly faded away and then his presence was completely gone from her. She tuned back into the world around her just in time for Yamamoto to ruffle her hair happily. She grinned back, hiding her uncertainty. Did helping Mukuro mean she was betraying her family? Pushing aside the thoughts, she joined the others in celebration.

"Being alone seems so lonely. We'll play with you again anytime." Reborn murmured, seemingly to himself.

Mio was the only one who caught the quiet response from a boy near them, "Again…someday…" The boy's presence made her turn in his direction and small _Kufufu_ in her head was all that was needed to confirm his identity. Feeling Reborn's eyes on her, she smiled peacefully. The baby clearly didn't mind that she was fraternizing with the enemy; rather he seemed to encourage it. So, pushing the guilt to the back of her mind, she reached over and hugged a sweaty Yamamoto, and congratulated him.

The boy laughed and hugged her back, even as Gokudera started yelling at them for being too friendly and ridiculous.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I am updating later and later with these fanfics... I'm really sorry about that; I'm doing my best I promise!

So, what do you think? Is Mukuro using Mio or is he actually doing something nice and beneficial? Also, there won't be any Gokudera X Mio moments for awhile since he's off doing his own thing for the Varia arc, but I promise I'll get there eventually!

Please read and review~


	8. Chapter 8: Allies

_She ran through the halls of the castle, fear spurring her to run faster than she ever had before. By all rights, as the princess, she should have been ushered out of the building as soon as it had been overrun by the enemy, but she had slipped away from the guards around her, and gone back in. She couldn't leave it there, not her most precious treasure. It was all she had left to remember him by, the only photo she had ever taken with him. She stumbled into her room and digging through her dresser, she located the photo, her hands closing on it with relief. Tucking it into her pockets, she slipped out of her room and ran towards the secret servant passages. She could get out that way. As she turned a corner, she heard a shout behind her. "I saw someone going that way! I'll go check it out!"_

_She urged her body to go faster. But she was already running as fast as her legs could carry her. The sound of a gun cocking sent her into a frenzy and she pushed herself to the limits. There was a single shot and something cold entered her back. As the blood filled her lungs, she choked and collapsed. Trembling hands reached for the photo in her pocket. She would be joining him soon. He would be glad to see her, right? Despite her not being able to keep the promise of living until she was an old grandmother. Her eyes ghosted over his profile-_

* * *

><p>Mio jerked up, breaking into a cold sweat. What was that dream? Why had it seemed so realistic? A person had been running. There was a picture with a man. That was important, she knew that much. There had been pain, or was it warmth? She didn't remember. Already the dream was slipping away, despite how hard she tried to grasp it. Something told her it was important. Thoughts of the photograph remained with her even as she got a call from Yamamoto asking to skip school. Perhaps skipping school and getting some fresh air would calm her down. She agreed without further thought.<p>

"Boss, there's a weird sound coming from over there" Mio pointed, concerned.

"Eh? What do you mean weird? Ah! Where's Lambo?" Tsuna looked around frantically, "…Oh, he's here… It's not him; what did you mean Kiyomizu-chan?"

"Well, it sounds like explosions…and there's definitely the smell of gunpowder being blown downwind over here. It might be a fight or something."

"No way right…I mean, maybe it's just fireworks or something. I don't want any more fighting!" Tsuna groaned.

Mio nodded and they went back to what they were doing. She kept an ear on the sounds however, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "Gokudera-kun! Will you stop picking fights with Takeshi-kun?" she sighed, exasperated at the volatile boy's attempts to stick dynamite in the baseball player's mouth.

The three of them bickered at their own table, giving Tsuna some time alone with Kyoko, his crush. Mio straightened however when the explosions suddenly got closer and then something came flying through the air to land on Tsuna. "Boss!" she yelled in alarm.

Gokudera and Yamamoto were both already running towards the boy, and she scrambled to follow, furious at herself for not being more wary. To their shock, there was a person on top of Tsuna. He smelled like gunpowder and sweat, as if he hadn't had the chance to rest in days. The girl suddenly whirled around at the presence of another person.

"What's this? Outsiders parading around?" a loud voice asked. "I'll slice up any trash who gets in the way!"

"What's with that person?" Tsuna shrieked, "He's serious trouble!"

Mio could hear Reborn shepherding Kyoko away. The boy that had crashed into Tsuna spoke up, and in archaic Japanese, said, "My apologies, Sawada-dono. I've been followed. I just met thee, yet I've already dragged thee into such a dangerous situation."

"U-um, who are you?" Tsuna asked uncertainly.

The boy grabbed Tsuna's hand and started running, "Let's find a safe place! I would like to tell thee something!"

"VOII!" the other man jumped and landed in front of them, "Let's quit this game of tag." He looked at Tsuna, "And who are these guys?"

When the newcomer didn't answer, the man lunged forward, waving something, a sword, "Let's get you to spill everything, now shall we?"

The boy dove forward to protect Tsuna and took the blow. The man walked forward menacingly, "What's your relation with this kid? If you don't spit it out, I'll slice you."

Out of nowhere, dynamite exploded around them, forcing the man to jump back.

"Lay a hand on that person and I won't let you go free." Gokudera drawled.

"Yeah, something like that. I'll be your opponent." Yamamoto commented.

Mio stood to the side, trying to get a sense of the opponent. He moved fluidly, almost effortlessly. Clearly the man had had plenty of training; he was no easy opponent. But they couldn't very well let him hurt Tsuna, could they. Nevertheless, the two boys were being incredibly reckless.

"You guys are also related in some way, eh? I don't get it, but I'll tell you something I know for sure." The man's tone of voice became ruthless. "If you go against me, you'll die."

He clearly was neither joking nor bluffing, and Mio felt a jolt of panic run through her. Her hand slowly inched towards the gun in her jacket pocket, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

The two boys either didn't understand the seriousness of the situation or just didn't care because they responded arrogantly.

"Right back at you."

"That's a sword he has, right? I'll go."

The newcomer boy knew better. "Please don't! He isn't a man thou can win against!"

The man grinned savagely, "It's too late to regret!" He charged forward and at the same time, Yamamoto ran towards him, sword at the ready. "Let's go!"

As their swords met with a clash, the man scoffed, "Your sword skills…you really don't have any, do you?"

"And what if I don't?" Yamamoto replied, his tone almost arrogant.

Bringing his sword down violently, the man roared, "IT'S TOO LIGHT!"

The man fired gunpowder at the boy and Yamamoto collapsed, defeated. Resisting the urge to run to the unconscious boy, Mio stood her ground, her hand clasped around the gun. Upon seeing Yamamoto, Gokudera growled angrily and lit his dynamite. There was a single swishing sound and the smell of lit dynamite disappeared immediately. "You're slow."

Dashing forward, the man brought his leg crashing down on the boy, knocking him out instantly. "Vooiiii these guys aren't even worth talking about." He brought his sword up, "Just die."

Mio lunged forward, her white staff assembled, and blocked the blow, wincing at the strength put in the swing. She pulled out her other gun and fired a warning shot at the man. The poison bullets were fully loaded and using her staff, she attempted to beat him back while shooting. The man easily parried her blows and with a single blow, sent the staff spinning out of her hands. The sword rested at her neck and he growled, "Try shooting me one more time. An amateur like you shouldn't even have guns like those. You don't know anything, do you?"

Enraged at the degrading comment, Mio shoved aside the importance of preserving her life and brought the gun up to the man's temple. "I can shoot much faster than you can take my head off" she said, panting.

"Vooiiii I'll kill you." The man replied, grinning.

She smiled widely, "You're much more skilled than me so I don't doubt those words. Even so, I won't move from this spot unless you make me."

The man smirked, "You're a feisty little brat, I'll give you that." Suddenly in one fluid movement, he was behind her and her gun was pointed at nothing. "But it's not good enough to beat me." He hit a pressure point on her neck with his hand and as she crumpled, he muttered, "Well, I won't kill you at the very least."

* * *

><p>Mio stirred, groaning uncomfortably. There was a familiar scent nearby and she muttered, "Dino-san?"<p>

The man didn't hear her and continued his conversation, "Tsuna, we'll talk about that later. I've prepared an unused hospital. Let's go."

"Please wait! Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, and Kiyomizu-chan are…!"

The girl stood up slowly and stumbled over to where Tsuna was. She could hear Gokudera and Yamamoto doing the same.

"No need to worry about them." Reborn interjected.

"Are you okay, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, concerned.

"What was up with that guy?"

"The level you're fighting at right now will be nothing but a bother. You three can go home."

Mio froze.

"Reborn! What are you saying?" Tsuna asked angrily.

Although they were already walking away, Mio could hear Reborn's all knowing response. "They probably sensed it already. After being defeated in such a one-sided match, there's no way they're not pissed off. Leave them alone for now."

Clenching her fists, she walked back and searched the ground for her cane. She knew she was still incredibly weak, but she was working slowly to improve. Her goal after all was to defeat Hibari some day, and to do that, she couldn't be lazy. So she would ignore what Reborn had to say, wouldn't take it to heart, and would focus on what she could do.

* * *

><p>Calming herself with deep breaths, she ran her fingers over her gun. The battle with the highly experienced man had taught her a few things. Obviously having the cane wasn't enough; she needed to learn how to properly fight with it so that she could combine it with her gun. She also had to learn to be even faster, more versatile with her weapon. Twisting the gun in her hands, she changed it to its cane form in a matter of seconds, an improvement that she had earned by fiddling with it in her spare time. This time as she changed it back to its gun form however, she felt for any useful features. If she was caught off guard before she could change all the way, was there something she could use? There it was! At the beginning of the shift, the gun was elongated, but it could still fire. She fumbled with it carefully, memorizing the feel and then practiced shooting with it a little. About half the length of her normal staff, she would be able to guard with the weapon as well use it for offensive purposes. She continued messing with the weapon, discovering tricks and techniques that she could use to her advantage in battle.<p>

Her hand then inched towards the MAC 11 that she had yet to master. It was ridiculously difficult for her to let go of the trigger before the gun emptied the entire magazine that was loaded. But the weapon wouldn't be useful unless she could control it. She took a moment to relax herself and then started to study the weapon, trying to work out the pieces and why it was so difficult for her to conquer.

It would be difficult for her to become as strong as the others when she wasn't even accepted, but she would work towards her goal all the same. She would show them just what this blind girl could do on her own.

* * *

><p>"Nagi? I'm Kiyomizu Mio. I was sent to pick you up." The girl said to the timid girl in front of her. Mukuro had guided her so she was sure she had the right person, but the task wasn't any easier.<p>

She reached forward to take the girl's hand in hers gently. Although the girl's hand was trembling, she didn't pull away, and Mio squeezed it a little in reassurance. Behind them, she heard an arrogant voice declaring, "Good riddance. I can't believe the nerve of that girl. To risk her life and cause us so many medical bills, all for the sake of some stray cat."

Nagi stiffened beside her, and Mio growled, the sound not reaching anyone's ears but her own. She turned to the girl next to her and asked, "Nagi-san, tell me honestly. Do you want to go back with your parents? Because if you do, I won't stop you."

The girl shook her head, murmuring, "I want to be with Mukuro-sama."

Mio nodded and strode forward angrily towards the couple, pulling Nagi to a stop in front of them. "Since you have decided that you no longer want custody of your daughter, I will be taking her. Thank you for giving birth to her." She sneered, "Although I suppose that is all I can thank you for."

The mother turned to her angrily, "Who are you?"

Mio smiled bitterly, "You don't need to know, nor do you really care so let's stop wasting each other's time here."

"That's my daughter you're taking away! I think I have a right to know!"

"You were willing to abandon your daughter when she was on death's front door, and now you want to put on airs as if you really cared?" The girl's tone turned harsh. "Don't give me that bullshit. If you try to take Nagi back to that hell hole you call a home, I will personally hunt you both down, and string you by your precious intestines from Tokyo Tower."

The parents paled and spluttered indignantly, "Are you threatening us?"

Offering her sweetest smile, she replied, "No. That wasn't a threat. It was a promise." Her expression turned cold and still holding Nagi's hand, she walked away.

Nagi stumbled after her and said shyly, "You didn't have to go that far for me. It's not their fault that I'm-"

Mio stopped and looked at the girl sternly, "It is their fault and I did have to go that far. As parents they should be ashamed that they were willing to abandon their child and then afterwards defend themselves as if they had done nothing wrong." Her tone softened. "And partially, that was sort of what I wished I could've said had I had a last chance to say something to my parents."

Nagi barely heard what the girl had whispered as an afterthought but she immediately pieced it together with what Mukuro had told her and understood why she had gone to such lengths.

* * *

><p>She attempted to coax the girl into eating, but it seemed that Nagi was unused to being treated so kindly and kept refusing, stating that what she had was enough. Mio sighed, "Nagi-san. I think we need to lay some ground rules first. I'm not delicate, nor am I particularly sensitive to others. I grew up by myself, relying on only myself, and blocked all others out. Maybe it's because of that that I don't know how to be tactful. But while you're staying here, I just want you to know that I will never hurt you in any way. And if I do on accident, you are more than welcome to punch me in the face or stomach or whatever."<p>

Nagi stammered, "No, I couldn't! That would be horrible!"

Mio laughed, "I finally got you to raise your voice!"

The girl blushed furiously, but Mio took her hands and said encouragingly, "That's right! Just like that, live your life proudly! We only get one chance at life so we might as well live it with a bang, right?"

"_Kufufu you're wrong there, principessa."_

"Mukuro? What the hell? Don't come out so suddenly!" she shrieked, dropping the now decidedly male hands.

The boy smirked, "Oya oya did I make you flustered?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, you just surprised me. Anyways, what did you need? It takes a great amount of power for you to possess Nagi doesn't it?"

"I was just checking in to make sure you weren't bullying her."

"Well, you can rest assured" she sniffed indignantly, "I'm not bullying her. In fact we were in the middle of a girl to girl talk before you interrupted."

"Do you normally keep your eyes closed all the time, principessa?"

"Hmm? Well it's become sort of a habit. I mean it still hurts if I get dust in it, so why bother taking the risk?"

"Open them when I'm near you so that you may take in more of your surroundings and therefore create more realistic illusions."

She opened her eyes and gazed around. "So this is what my apartment looks like." She mused to herself. "Maybe I should put up some decorations so Nagi doesn't get bored."

"Hey Mukuro" she said suddenly after a moment of silence, "I had a weird dream lately. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it since you walk in dreams."

"Oya what might that be?"

"Well, I don't really remember very clearly, but I was running. That much is certain. And then I was looking for something. And I remember I had a photograph, or maybe that's what I was looking for." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, "Gaah I can't remember! I just know that it seemed like a really important dream."

Mukuro seemed to have frozen. "That photograph" he said slowly, "Did you see what was on it?"

"That's the part I can't remember. I know I was lying down while looking at it, and I feel like the picture was probably really important, but I can't remember anything else!"

He sighed, "Pay it no mind then. It was most likely a fleeting memory that floated into you."

She frowned; Mukuro seemed out of it, and she was certain the dream had been important. Nevertheless, she nodded, taking note of the uncomfortable look on the boy's face for later reference.

"Why is it that you have looked everywhere but me?" The boy asked, quickly changed the subject.

She glanced at him and snickered, "Your hair makes me laugh and I can't take you seriously when I see it." Although it partially true, it was more than just that. Her chest felt uncomfortable when she looked directly at the boy, and her head hurt as if something was trying to break free inside of her.

"Oya oya what's wrong with my hair?"

She smirked, "That bit that sticks up makes you look like a pineapple, or hadn't you noticed? I'm sure one of your subordinates must have at some point. Didn't they bother telling you?"

"Ah, yes. Ken has often told me that." His smile turned sour, "But of course, I make sure to correct him. My hair is not a pineapple."

Mio laughed silently to herself and watched as Mukuro idly played with the chopsticks in his hand for a moment before she interrupted him, "Well then, if that was all, can I go back to associating with sweet girls?"

He laughed, "Principessa, your dislike for me is rather delightful."

"…are you by any chance a masochist…?"

The boy's eyes sparkled playfully, "And if I said yes?"

She smirked in reply, "Well, I can't do anything now since that's Nagi's body, but in the future if you do ever get your real body back, I'm sure I could spare a few minutes now and then to beat you senseless."

"Kufufu I look forward to it…" The man slowly faded away revealing Nagi again. Her vision also disappeared and she closed her eyes once more.

Smiling brightly, Mio said, "I finally got that brat to go away. Let's eat, Nagi-san."

The boy's unasked question lingered in the air. _Are you not looking at me because I remind you of someone else?_ Lately, she was getting the feeling that she had known Mukuro before. But she couldn't remember where or how.

* * *

><p>Blinking her eyes open wearily, Mio was met with the sound of quiet sniffles. The bed shook a little as the girl next to her struggled to repress the sound of her crying. She reached down and took the girl's hand, squeezing it warmly. "You don't have to hide it." She murmured quietly.<p>

Nagi turned to face her and started crying brokenly, "Kiyomizu-san, why did they…? What did I do wrong?"

It was a question she had wanted to ask herself many times, but had never allowed herself to; always choosing to be stoic about the situation, refusing to allow anyone to see her as a weakling. But this girl would not go down the same path she had taken. She would have people who truly cared about her and would take care of her, and they would make sure she didn't turn out as broken as Mio had.

So she wrapped an arm around the girl, and soothingly rubbed her hand against her back, and allowed her to cry until she could cry no more. When the girl had finally calmed down, she spoke again, "Hey, Nagi. This is a new beginning for you, so we should do something to celebrate the moment. Is there anything you'd like?"

The girl thought for a moment before answering hesitantly, "I don't want my parents to be able to find me."

Mio nodded thoughtfully, "Then…a new name first? Is there any name that you like?"

"I like Mukuro-sama's name" was the shy reply.

"Mukuro, hmm. Well it's a guy's name but maybe if we rearranged the letters a little…" she mused. "Mukuro Rokudo…Dokuro? Ahh as I thought, that sounds a bit weird for a first name. But it might be nice as a last name."

"Chrome."

"Hmm?"

"I like Chrome Dokuro."

"Chrome, eh...? It's pretty…" Mio beamed and nodded, "That's that then. From this day forth, you are no longer Nagi. You are Chrome Dokuro!"

With that said, the two girls slowly drifted back to sleep. The newly named Chrome still holding Mio's hand, smiled as Mukuro's sly voice slipped into her mind. _"Chrome Dokuro? Well named my dear."_

* * *

><p>"What're you doing here byon?" Ken snarled angrily.<p>

"Ehh? I should be asking that of you, shouldn't I? I thought you were in prison!"

"We escaped a few days ago" the other person, Chikusa, sighed.

"Then where's Mukuro?" Mio asked curiously.

"You were supposed to be bringing him, you stupid girl!"

The girl shrugged and gently gave Chrome a gentle push towards the guys. "This is Chrome Dokuro, Mukuro's…uh…how to put it. He saved her life and sometimes shows up at awkward moments through her…?"

"Ahh? What is this stupid girl talking about now byon?"

She groaned and grabbed Chrome's shoulders. "Hey, you can come out now, right? I know you're watching all this and laughing!"

Chrome giggled softly, "Mukuro-sama says he wants to watch your angry face a little longer."

She face-palmed, sighing, "I can explain this." She started speaking rapidly, going through Nagi's sad history and Mukuro's appearance, hands gesticulating wildly. By the time she had finished her speech. She sensed a familiar presence behind her. Her eyes snapped open and sure enough she could once again see. The two boys in front of her were skinny; one of them had a blank look in his eyes, a beanie and a barcode on his cheek, the other had his mouth halfway open due to the large fangs that prevented him from closing it properly, his sandy blonde hair was littered with pins here and there, giving it some semblance of orderliness. Neither of the boys was looking at her, rather they were staring at something or someone behind her.

She whirled around only to come face to face with Mukuro, who was smirking at her. She flinched in surprise, and the boy's smile only got wider. Then he turned to talk to Ken and Chikusa, "Ken, Chikusa. This girl is my vessel. You'll take good care of her, yes?"

"Anything for Mukuro-sama!" Ken practically barked, his tongue lolling out of his mind.

"Yes Mukuro-sama" Chikusa replied more sedately.

Mukuro continued, "She will be temporarily staying with the lovely Mio, so of course you must treat her with due respect as well."

Ken and Chikusa turned to look at the girl again, the animal boy's eyes narrowing suspiciously. Mio spluttered, "I haven't done anything to him if that's what you're thinking!" She reluctantly muttered, "I doubt I'd even be able to land a scratch on him anyways."

She then straightened and directed her attention towards Mukuro, "You better not forget your promise."

But the man was already disappearing, leaving Chrome in his place. In her mind she heard a quiet chuckle, "_Kufufu best let that remain a secret, principessa. I will teach you in time._"

Ken and Chikusa were already walking away and she quickly focused on her other senses. "Ah, wait! Where are you two going? Don't you want to spend some time with Chrome?"

Ken snarled, "That stupid girl isn't really Mukuro-sama. Why should we waste our time with her? You take care of her."

Mio sighed and turned to Chrome, "Is there anything you wanted to do before going back, Chrome?"

The girl shook her head, "No, I can go back by myself. You should go back to training. Mukuro-sama says that you were holding back for me."

Mio thought for a moment. While it was certainly a good idea to go back and continue her training, she didn't want Chrome thinking she was a burden in any way. So shaking her head, she took the girl's hand and said, "Actually, I'd rather spend the day with you. I got a look at my apartment the other day and it's ridiculously empty. Let's go find some stuff to fill it up, yeah? And some clothes for you while we're at it. Mukuro might think you can go around wearing the Kokuyo uniform all the time, but what does he know about girls."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

New chapter! I've been so busy this week but I forced myself to stay up and post this so I hope it's good!

Quick question: Do you want to know more about Mukuro and Mio or is Gokudera and Mio more interesting? Depending on your answers, I may change things around a bit. I can go with either way at the moment so. ^_^

Two more chapters (I think roughly) and this story is going to be finished! Look forward to it :)

Please read and review~


	9. Chapter 9: Betrayal

"Hey Mukuro" Mio asked idly, "Why are you unidentifiable?"

The boy looked up at her, "Hmm what's that, principessa?"

She rolled over so she was lying on her back and waved a hand, creating a shower of flowers. "All living things give off a certain essence that is unique to each of them. For instance, even if twins are exactly the same in looks and smell and everything else people use to identify them, to me, they're still different. They give off different" she struggled to find the right word, "auras?"

"Oya, and what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, you don't have one. Or rather, your aura is so blurred that it seems like you could even be not human at times."

Out of nowhere, Mukuro had her pinned to the ground, his hand at her throat, "And what would you know about that?"

Choking, she kicked at the boy angrily, and gasped, "What are you doing, you bastard? I just asked a simple question! If you didn't want to answer, just tell me!"

The boy didn't loosen his grip, "I'm asking you a question, Kiyomizu Mio."

He had never called her by her name before, always choosing to teasingly call her princess. For him to be this serious, she must have done something incredibly stupid. But that was no reason for him to attack her! Struggling to breathe, she hit him weakly in the side, trying to throw him off.

He held her down firmly as he hissed, "I have gone through many different lives, have been reborn, and have gone to 6 different hells. I, unlike most, remember all the lives I have gone through. Not all of them have been human, not all of them have been pleasant." His eyes flashed, "When you ask me why I do not seem entirely human, it is because I am not."

She had stopped struggling, and he quickly let go of her. The girl rolled over, coughing and gasping for air. "So what if you've lived past lives? What you're living right now is your current life, isn't it?"

Bitterly, he replied, "Have you ever woken up wondering if your life is all a dream and you're really some poor ant struggling to stay alive each day?" Tilting his head, he smiled, "No, you haven't. Your memories of previous lives are sealed. It is only because of this eye that I remember mine."

"Is it really so bad?" she asked, genuinely concerned, having pushed thoughts of the attack out of her mind.

He murmured something quietly to himself, something that she barely caught. _"It is difficult when you remember a past life that someone else does not."_

So that was it then. He had met someone that he identified from a past life, but the person did not remember any of the events in their past life. She sat up slowly, rubbing her throat and then concentrated. In her hand, a small purple lotus bloomed. She handed it to the boy and said, "A lotus for rebirth. The past is the past. You can always move on and create a new future but you can never go back and change the past."

He cradled the flower in his hand for a moment before using his own power to cause it to grow in size. "Try to stop me."

Immediately alert, she focused. Under her control, the lotus sprouted vines and they wrapped the boy up in a cocoon. He smiled at her, amused, and the vines shriveled. She ignored their outward appearance, continuing to believe that they were strong, and kept them wrapped around him, thwarting his attempt to overthrow her illusion and therefore gain control of her mind. She then focused on and started attempting to force the lotus to shrink. Mukuro raised an eyebrow at her mockingly, and she forced the vines to squeeze him more tightly. She glared at the illusionary plant and it slowly started shrinking until it reverted back to its original form.

"Kufufu you are doing quite well, principessa."

She frowned, "Don't lie to me. How much of your power did you use? Ten percent?"

"Oya oya you have such little faith in yourself." At her disbelieving look, he continued, "I used 15% of my power, but you are indeed improving. And your illusions have something to them that mine do not. They are filled with that life aura as you so put it. All that remains now is to train your mind to be unbreakable. You are too easily hurt and for illusionists, that is a fatal flaw."

"So…train myself to be an unfeeling robot basically." She said wryly. "Well, I'll work on it."

* * *

><p>The problem with becoming heartless was that she just couldn't let go of her feelings. And she found that once she had really settled down and taken the time to dig through her mind, she was one unhappy individual. The past simmered deep in her heart, barely repressed, wanting to be released in a burst of anger. But ignoring it would no longer do, so she opened the lid. And then as soon as the flood gates opened, she couldn't stop crying. There had been a reason she had kept a lid on her past for long; because had she not, she would've been a mess and that would leave her vulnerable for more messes to happen. Now that she was finally facing her past, all she could do was helplessly sob, her voice wearing itself out slowly as she screamed and released all her anger and sadness.<p>

And when she had cried herself to the point of hysterics, she suddenly stopped. The tears stopped flowing, she wiped her face, and lay on the floor, exhausted. Why was she so sad about something that had happened so long ago? Why did she have to allow this one event to control her life? Why did she need so deeply to be accepted? There was no answer; rather, it was something that was so deeply engrained in that by this point trying to deny it would be futile.

The doorbell rang and she went to answer it wearily. To her surprise, Gokudera was standing in front of her door. His familiar smell enveloped her and she resisted the urge to throw herself in his arms. "Ah Gokudera-kun" she greeted him quietly, "What brings you here?"

He frowned at her weak voice but said, "I was wondering if I could eat here before my battle tomorrow. I want to be in my best condition."

She nodded absentmindedly. Chrome would be with Ken and Chikusa so there was nothing to worry about. "Was there anything you wanted in particular?" she asked, going over to the fridge.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind, "Oi woman, what's going on? Why is there crap thrown all over the place and why do you sound like you're about to collapse any second?"

She quickly pushed him away. If he didn't get away from her, she would end up depending on him and dragging him into her mess. She didn't want to get him involved. He refused to let go however and in one swift motion, pulled her bangs out of her face. The eyes staring back at him were dull, dark bags of exhaustion under them. "What the hell have you been doing?" he growled.

"I've just been a bit busy is all."

Her weak voice grated on his nerves for some inexplicable reason and he exploded, "You disappeared for a week when the Tenth needed the support of the family most and now I find you looking like you're about to die! What the hell is going on?"

She frowned, "I haven't even seen any of you at school. Obviously there's something going on that you're hiding from me. If you don't want me to know," her voice rose, "then don't try to drag me into it when it's convenient for you!"

In a low voice, the boy muttered, "I think I'll pass on the meal after all. You're not acting right. I'm outta here." He left, leaving only the smell of smoke to linger.

She sighed; she shouldn't have blown up on Gokudera like that for no reason. It wasn't his fault she was unstable right now. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she giggled a little. The small giggle became full blown laughter, and weak with giddiness, she collapsed on the ground, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>"<em>When I told you to gain full control of your emotions, this wasn't what I had in mind."<em>

_Mio looked up wearily, "What…what happened?"_

_Mukuro sighed, "You laughed until you passed out. Just what exactly was so funny, if you don't mind me asking?"_

"_That was…well, I'm not sure. I just couldn't stop laughing…"_

"_Driving yourself into hysterics is not how an illusionist becomes stronger. Please be more careful next time, principessa. I can't always be rescuing you."_

_She nodded in understanding and then suddenly thought of something, "How is it that you can enter my mind so easily Mukuro? Are you sure you aren't possessing me as you are Chrome?"_

"_Kufufu I was wondering when you would ask. Your mind is oddly enough, very compatible with mine. I can enter your mind much easier than I can enter the mind of someone such as the storm guardian for the Vongola. It is even easier than entering Chrome's mind. We are oddly linked, you and I, both with an affinity for illusions, both abandoned by our families."_

"_Are you implying something Mukuro?" she asked suspiciously._

_The boy smiled sadly at her, "No. Nothing at all. Rest well principessa."_

* * *

><p><em>She urged her body to go faster. But she was already running as fast as her legs could carry her. The sound of a gun cocking sent her into a frenzy and she pushed herself to the limits. There was a single shot and something cold entered her back. As the blood filled her lungs, she choked and collapsed. Trembling hands reached for the photo in her pocket. She would be joining him soon. He would be glad to see her, right? Despite her not being able to keep the promise of living until she was an old grandmother. Her eyes ghosted over his profile. The funny spiked hair that he was so proud of. <em>

Funny spiked hair? Mio was awake in a second. She focused intently, calling for Mukuro deep in her mind. The man showed up moments later in her mind. "_Oya oya, even criminal masterminds need time to rest, principessa._"

"Mukuro" she said urgently, ignoring the teasing, "Did you know me in a past life? Before, when I mentioned the dream with the photograph to you, you seemed worried about something. And just now, in the picture, a man with the same hair as you…"

The man smiled sadly in her mind, "_It's nothing you need concern yourself with. It's all in a past life._"

"Don't just pass this off Mukuro! This is important! You were the one who told me about past lives! What if this is really important-" She broke off as she came to the realization, "You remember this, don't you…? This was what you were talking about that time…"

Mukuro was silent for a moment before sighing. "_I would rather you not remember. Although we were in fact in love in a past life, it was nothing more than an infatuation on the parts of two inexperienced children. You would do well to stay with the man you love now. It will do you no good to love a wretched man like me._"

"I don't love anyone right now…and more importantly, don't decide what's good for me or not!"

"_Hmm, is that so?"_ Mukuro mused.

She tried to bring up the subject again, but the man simply chuckled, "_Forget these memories of yours lest you make the same mistake."_

When she woke up the next day, she had no recollection of the dreams at all.

* * *

><p>Chrome slipped out of the bed silently, trying not to wake the girl who slept beside her. Mio waited until the girl had left before getting out of bed to follow her. She and Mukuro were hiding something from her. She had felt the nervousness pouring off of the girl and the boy had stopped visiting her as frequently. Maybe this would be her chance to find out what was going on.<p>

She followed the sound of Chrome's footsteps as well as the slight citrusy scent that followed her. To her bemusement, they ended up at Kokuyo Land. Maybe the girl was just visiting Ken and Chikusa? But it seemed as if that wasn't her final destination because the two boys followed her out of the decrepit amusement park. Taking care not to alert Ken's animal senses, she followed them to Namimori Middle. They arrived at the gymnasium and Mio listened from outside. Tsuna and the rest were evidently inside, chatting happily. At Chrome's entrance however, they immediately became defensive, Gokudera already pulling out his dynamite.

"It looks like you don't believe me." Chrome said to the people inside.

"'Course not! Tenth! Just look at that weapon! Besides that, that eyepatch is hiding that shady eye!"

"But she's not…Rokudo Mukuro…" Tsuna said slowly.

"No? Do…do you really think so?" Gokudera asked.

"It's not…um…but for some reason…"

"You spoke for me." Chrome approached the boy and said softly, "Thank you boss."

Evidently that wasn't all she did because the boys started freaking out. Ryohei brought them back to the matter at hand by asking, "Well, what should we do? Let her join us?"

"Why should we let her join us! Besides, we don't even know where the hell she popped up from!" Gokudera grumbled.

He and Ken started arguing, but Chrome calmed the beast boy down before turning to Tsuna and asking, "Boss, is it that I'm not worthy of the position as guardian of mist?"

"Eh…?"

"I wish to battle as the guardian of mist, but if Boss won't allow it no matter what, then I'll abide by his decision."

"However, besides Chrome," Reborn piped up, "there are no others who can battle as the guardian of mist."

"What about Kiyomizu Mio?" Gokudera asked bluntly.

The girl felt her heart skip a beat. Had Gokudera just stood up for her? She smiled a little, happiness making it difficult for her to stay still.

"No. Mio cannot be the mist guardian. That is not to be her role. Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy. Rendering the family's true form intangible with visions of deceit. Mio cannot do that. She is too dependent on the family itself."

Although it didn't explain much, they were forced to accept it. Tsuna seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Then, we'll leave it to you."

"What? Is that really all right, Tenth?"

"I don't really know how to put it, but it seems like it wouldn't work if it wasn't her…"

A flapping behind her had Mio ducking out of the way to hide. Inside, a new voice joined the others. And then the battle began. It was a battle of illusions that had Mio on her wit's end as she tried to discern reality from imagination. She was able to pick them out while concentrating, but then Chrome's opponent suddenly froze her pillars of fire. It happened so quickly that she didn't even have time think of the possibility of it being an illusion.

"The art of illusion seizes control of the person's perception- that is to say; it infiltrates the brain that governs their five senses. The stronger the illusionist's abilities, the more complete the infiltration. Their illusion's rate of success is also heightened, and its hold over reality stronger. Thus, in the illusionist's case, if their illusion is successfully countered with illusion, it means that control of their own perception will be completely snatched away."

The opponent proceeded to throw the girl around and then even as Chrome screamed not to, broke her trident. Mio rushed into the gym, worry etched all over her face. But a presence stopped her. That was unmistakably Mukuro!

* * *

><p>The rest of the battle passed by in a blur with Mukuro crushing the other side's illusionist.<p>

"How could you…you didn't have to go so far…" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Even now, you're still showing such sympathy for the enemy. Just how naïve can you get, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Before the boy could respond, he continued, "There's no need to worry, I should say. That baby managed to escape. From the start, he had every intention of reserving enough energy to escape. He's a shrewd one, that Arcobaleno."

From across the gym, Mio heard a gruff voice say, "Gola Mosca. After the contest battles are over, eliminate Mammon."

There was a large expulsion of air and then Mukuro commented, "My my, you really are the dark side of the mafia, aren't you, Xanxus? Even I would feel awed at this terrifying scheme you've thought up." He smirked, "But, I have no intention of poking my nose into your business, because I am not such a nice human being. Just one thing though…the other candidate for the successor, though smaller and weaker than you…is not really someone you should trifle with for your own good."

He walked towards Tsuna and the rest. Gokudera was already yelling angrily, "You bastard! How dare you show your face here?"

"It's good to be so vigilant. But, I have no intention of colluding with the mafia either" Mukuro smiled mockingly, "The only reason I have become your mist guardian is to set myself in a better position to possess your body, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"I knew it you bastard!" Gokudera shouted, taking out his dynamite. Before Tsuna could stop him, he had already thrown the dynamite.

Mukuro would be too tired to defend after expending all that energy. Mio pulled her gun out and assembled it into its longer form. Running towards them, she swung at the dynamite and sent it flying to an empty part of the gym. "You idiot!" she shouted. "Do you want to kill everyone around you!"

"What are you doing here now, stupid woman? Why didn't you show up earlier?"

The Cervello added, "Unauthorized people are not allowed to be here."

"I followed Chrome here because none of you assholes would tell me what was going on!" she retorted. To the Cervello, she said, "I'm supposed to be part of this family. Don't call me unauthorized!"

Tsuna started to apologize, but she interrupted him. "No, you listen to me. I stayed in this so called family because I didn't have anywhere else to go. I thought that with time I would become more accepted. But all you've done is push me away. And now even Mukuro who was originally your enemy knows more than me?"

"I didn't want to get you involved" Tsuna said apologetically. "You shouldn't be pulled into the mafia when you could live a normal life, Kiyomizu-chan!"

"But you could pull Chrome into it?"

"I didn't know! I didn't know who the mist guardian was until today!"

"Kufufu don't tell me you're jealous, principessa?" Mukuro chuckled.

Mio screamed into her hands, the sound only slightly muffled. "Of course I'm jealous you insensitive-!" Face still covered by her hands, she mumbled, "I'm jealous that they're willing to use you when they don't even consider you part of the family, whereas I'm pushed aside because they didn't want to get me involved."

Standing up, she turned to leave. "Kiyomizu-chan!" Tsuna called.

"Kiyo-chan, wait!"

"Oi, stupid woman! Where do you think you're going?"

She whirled around and hesitating for a brief second, had her gun out and pointed directly at Gokudera, "Don't try to stop me. I've made up my mind so don't even think about saying anything! If you cared, you would have told me what was happening!" She couldn't let petty feelings get in the way of her goals. Gokudera may have been more accepting than the others, but in the end, he stood by Tsuna and not her.

Nevertheless, Gokudera ignored her warning and grabbed her arm, forcing the gun down. "The Tenth was doing that out of concern for you, stupid!"

She shook him off, "I told you that wasn't what I wanted! Even when you all went to confront Mukuro, I was left behind! What's the point of staying in a family that doesn't want me?" She asked bitterly, "Why do you care whether I go or not anyway?"

"The Tenth won't like it if you leave." Gokudera growled.

Something in the girl snapped. No one had really been thinking about her. It was always about someone else. They were all just using her, tossing her and pushing her away when it was convenient. Burning with rage, she pointed her gun at the bomber and fired. He threw himself out of the way, cursing. "What the fuck are you doing?"

She didn't answer, instead she clenched her hand; out of the floor exploded vines. They wrapped themselves around Gokudera who struggled weakly, still injured from his own fight. He threw a few rocket bombs at her but her illusions blocked them. Not giving him a chance to react, she fired her gun at him again.

The bullets were deflected by Yamamoto who had gotten to them in the nick of time. He stood in a defensive position in front of Gokudera, sword drawn, and said tersely, his usual cheerful disposition gone, "Kiyo-chan, you can't do that."

She reassembled her gun and ran to grapple with him. The boy had improved greatly after his fight with Squalo however, and her attacks were ineffective. Gritting her teeth, she had the vines multiply until they were wrapped around him too.

"Oi trash. Join the Varia." A gruff voice brought her out of her sudden anger. To their shock, it was Xanxus who had spoken. The man was looking at the girl, a glint of interest in his eyes.

She took a small step towards the man and Tsuna asked incredulously, "You can't really be thinking about joining them?"

She knew it was the wrong decision but she couldn't help herself from saying, "Why not?" deridingly, "At least with them, I know where I stand. I'm a subordinate; no more, no less."

It was at that point that Mukuro finally decided to interrupt. "It seems like I'll have to stop you myself then, principessa. Since you are firm about your decision."

"Don't come near me, Mukuro" she snarled. "I don't trust you."

The look on the man's face surprised them all, but the blind girl didn't see a thing and chose to ignore the waves of hurt pouring off the boy. "You certainly shouldn't trust me" Mukuro murmured, "It is not the first nor will it be the last time I betray you." He turned away without another word.

Mio walked over to stand with the Varia calmly. "Ushishishi looks like we found ourselves another peasant to play with, eh Boss?"

"Don't touch her, trash. She's mine."

"Boss! We can't trust some brat from the Vongola! This could all be an act! She could be a-" Levi started yelling.

"Shut up trash." Xanxus growled. "I told you. She's _mine_."

* * *

><p>Life with the Varia was as miserable as she thought it would be. No one cared about her, no one attempted to be friendly with her. They all pretty much left her alone, which of course meant there were no attempts to kill her either. In all reality, she supposed she had Xanxus to thank for that. After marking her as his territory (or prey, however you wanted to look at it), the officers were smart enough to stay clear of her path, and the lower ranks that had come with them to Japan were terrified of her.<p>

With Mukuro gone from her mind, she was lonely and bored. But she refused to regret her decision. It was their fault for refusing to tell her anything and forcing her to take drastic measures! She would stay with the Varia for as long as she needed to.

And it wasn't all dull. For all that everyone else avoided her like the plague, she sometimes ran into Xanxus who would do either one of two things that she come to expect. If he smelled overwhelmingly like alcohol, he would most likely throw something at her. But if he was a little more sober, he would drag her out to behind the hotel where he would shoot at her. At first she thought it had been some kind of sick punishment, but slowly she began to see that this was the man's way of teaching her. By listening to the way he moved while using his guns, she learned much more than she had been able to teach herself. He may have been a violent alcoholic, but she had to admit the man knew his way around weapons.

She took the opportunity to improve herself and spent most of her time behind the hotel working on her footwork or shooting at random targets. Xanxus had never spoken more than five words to her each time they trained, but she sensed that he was pleased with her progress. When they had first started training together, she had tripped over herself trying to avoid his fireballs; now she listened and controlling her breathing, danced out of the way. She avoided making unnecessary movements and was a deadly shot with her gun, able to hit a butterfly in flight with a bullet. (Xanxus could do this too, but the butterfly was incinerated along with everything else in the vicinity so she couldn't really decide if it counted or not).

Incompetence was rooted out and destroyed in the Varia so when Mio practiced with her MAC 11, she made sure to stay hidden from the rest of the squad. If they ever saw her with it, they would most likely kill her or die laughing on the spot. Which was why she was at such a loss. She had her MAC 11 in hand and yet, standing before her was Xanxus; and he wasn't attempting to kill her.

The man reached forward for the gun and she resisted the urge to flinch. If he was going to shoot her, he would've done it with his own guns, right? "Oi, brat. Stop looking so fucking terrified all the time and pay attention."

She jerked; that had been the most he had ever said to her at one time since she had gone with the Varia. This must be important if he was taking the time to talk and not just shoot. "You don't need this gun to shoot the enemy with. Use it to move around the battlefield."

The look on her face was evidently enough to inform him that she didn't understand his meaning. He pressed the trigger and the torrent of bullets tore into the ground and he flew backwards. "It's the same as what I do with my flames. Use the force of the bullets to propel yourself in the opposite direction."

"But isn't that your move?" she blurted without thinking.

"If you learn to use it, I don't care." He smirked and he challenged, "If you can do it, that is."

He tossed the gun back at her nonchalantly and left without another word. She thought silently for a moment. It was true that more mobility would help her in battle, but would she be able to use this technique. If she was in mid-air, she would lose her bearings. But that quick burst of speed may be what she needed.

She reloaded the gun and pointing the muzzle at the ground at a 45 degree angle, she pressed the trigger. The force sent her falling backwards and she twisted to avoid hitting the ground on her back. This technique wasn't as easy as Xanxus made it look. She gritted her teeth and tried again; by hell, she would master this if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

><p>She and the Varia were on slightly better terms now. Bel had come across her as she was training and after informing the rest of the officers, she was now acknowledged as at the very least "not useless". Unfortunately, now Bel had taken to popping by her training sessions and throwing knives at her.<p>

She supposed this could be one of those times. Except Bel was just sitting there watching her shoot moving targets. Unable to stand the awkward situation, she turned in his direction and asked, "Did you need something?"

Bel snickered, "The prince was just wondering why Boss would want a girl like you in the Varia."

She snorted, "Shouldn't you go and ask him then? He's never said anything about it to me. Why anyone would want a blind girl in an assassination group is beyond me."

Silence followed by an intake of breath, "You're blind?"

"You…didn't know that?" She asked.

Bel shook his head but then realizing she couldn't see, replied, "No one ever told the prince."

She shrugged, "Well, I am. And before you start pitying me or treating me like I'm shit, just remember, I'm blind. Not stupid."

"The Prince wants to hear the peasant's story." He walked over and grabbed her by the arm.

"I have to practice or Boss will fry my ass" she protested weakly.

Her pleas were lost on the blonde boy's ears. He sat her down and commanded, "Speak."

"There's not much to tell" she mumbled uncomfortably. She always had trouble telling people about her past. The only person she had ever voluntarily told was Gokudera. "My parents abandoned me when I was eight. I had an accident and I was left blind and on my own."

Bel examined her for a moment silently and declared, "Boss brought back an interesting peasant." Grinning widely, he left without another word.

Mio dismissed the incident as an odd quirk of a Varia member. They all seemed to be insane one way or another. As long as they bother her too much, she didn't mind.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I hope this was a good chapter! I'm afraid Mio's turning into a bit of a bitch, but it was necessary for her character development! (Plus I had to get the Varia in there somehow haha).

Have you ever had that feeling when you just start laughing for no reason and then you can't stop? ...No...? Just me...? Well...Idk I thought it showed just how unstable her mental status was at the moment :P

That was a low blow to MukuroXMio supporters. I'm sorry, but I had to turn the story back to Gokudera even though pretty much everyone wanted Mukuro. I'M SORRY! Don't worry though, I'm planning on giving him a bit more time! And the past will be explained later!

Before I forget (because I have for the past like 5 chapters), I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and wasn't logged in. I wanted to reply but...there was kind of no way haha. Thank you so much! It really means a lot! Thank you also to everyone else who reviewed as well of course! :3

Please read and review~


	10. Chapter 10: Belonging

She wasn't allowed to attend the Cloud match much to her regret; despite despising Hibari, she knew that she could learn tons from him. When the Varia returned, they were short one large robot, nor did they seem to have the cloud ring. She was informed that due to certain circumstances, she was to participate in the battle the following night as the new cloud guardian. She was handed a makeshift Varia uniform and then shoved forcibly out of the officer's reclining area. But not before Levi finished complaining.

"Boss, she's not trustworthy! She'll betray us for those brats!"

To her surprise, it was Bel who came to her defense. "Ushishishi the peasant can't do much against us. She's _blind_." The inquisitive look he gave Xanxus was not missed by the rest of the Varia, although Mio saw nothing.

"You brat! You're blind?" Levi asked angrily.

"I am." She answered proudly, "You have a problem with that?"

"Boss, she tricked you! What can a blind bitch like her do for the Varia?"

Xanxus snarled, "Did you think I didn't know? You think I would let useless trash join the Varia?"

At the same time, Mio had her gun pointed at Levi. "Call me that again and I'll blow your brains out" she hissed.

Levi was outraged at the threat but no one else made a move. "Trash" Xanxus grunted, "Get out already."

She put her gun away and bowed politely before leaving. The uniform she had been handed had been tailored to fit specifically her and she couldn't help but stroke the cloth happily. It was a symbol that she wasn't just a replaceable chess piece, but rather a member of the team. Pulling the uniform on, she stiffened her resolve. If this was where she belonged, then so be it. She wouldn't let the chance slip through her fingers. Not this time.

* * *

><p>She couldn't help but sigh however, when night time came and she was left in the dust by the excited Varia members. They were much faster than her, having trained in combat for practically their entire lives. She was left jogging towards Namimori Middle at her own sedate pace and arrived as the Vongola guardians did. Ignoring the looks that were no doubt aimed at her, she took her place behind Xanxus who had arrived with the rest of the Varia already.<p>

The Cervello revealed themselves and then as the previously injured competitors arrived, they spoke ominously, "The compulsory summons do not take anything else into account. Because in the sky battle, the six rings as well as the lives of the six guardians are all at stake."

"The rings and the lives of the guardians are at stake…?" Tsuna's voice rose in anger, "What do you mean by that? Lambo is already injured! Give him back!"

"Stand down please. The Varia are in the same boat." The Cervello calmly replied.

"Yeah! Quit complaining! Once the summons were received, no matter what condition we're in, we have to assemble. That's the duty of a guardian!" After finishing his statement, he turned his head towards where Mio was standing and asked, "Anyway, who is this cute girl? And where is Mosca?"

Bel snickered, "You better not do anything funny Lussuria. Boss claimed her already."

"Mou! And no one bothered to tell me? What's your name cutie?"

"Kiyomizu Mio" she replied with a slight bow, "I'm the new cloud guardian."

"I'm hoping that Master Xanxus's anger has appeased and I'd have a chance to help him. Will this girl in his favor speak for me?" Mammon said from his cage.

"Ushishishi how nicely put. We only caught you instead of killing you, so don't be smooth talking here."

"Shut up Bel!"

Mio remained silent. From across the field, Yamamoto said, "What about Squalo? Isn't he here?"

"You know very well what the outcome of the rain battle was. We are unable to verify Squalo's current status." The Cervello responded. "Well then, let's begin the sky battle."

"W-wait a minute! We haven't clarified! Kiyomizu-chan shouldn't even be over there! And we-"

"If you don't want to start, you'll be disqualified. And master Xanxus will officially be given possession of the rings."

This cut Tsuna off and caused Gokudera to growl angrily. "All right, firstly, we will collect all the guardians' rings." As soon as they had taken all the rings, they continued. "We will now explain the rules of the sky battle. The sky battle will be similar to the other guardians. One of the conditions for victory is to join the two halves of the ring. However, the battle field will be the entire school. In order to watch such a wide battle field, we have installed large screen displays at the observation box as well as various other locations. Also the guardians will be using these wristbands installed with a camera equipped monitor. So then, would all the guardians please put on your wristbands. Then make your way to the respective fields of your own battles."

"Huh? Our battle field? What's the point of that?" Levi growled.

"We are not answering any questions. If you do not follow the rules, you will be disqualified."

Watch in hand, Mio made her way to the sports field, having been informed that that was where the cloud battle had taken place. Behind her she heard the Vongola guardians cheering together, and her steps quickened. She only needed to listen and having something around her wrists would throw off her perfected balance so she pocketed the watch and stood waiting for further instructions.

"What's with the pole…?" Ryohei asked.

Through the watch, the Cervello said, "We've set up a pole at each of the battle fields. The top of each pole contains the ring of the same type."

"Wha…? The ring…Don't tell me we're scrambling for them again…?" Gokudera frowned.

"In other words, we'll be fighting too?" Bel grinned.

"You are all free to do so. That is…if you are able to." Suddenly cries of pain came from the watch. "Just then, all the guardians were injected with a poison administered from their wristbands. This poison is called the death hitter. Once administered, it will paralyze the victim's nerves instantly. Even standing up will prove difficult. Then, a burning pain will spread throughout the body, increasing gradually, until 30 minutes later…the victim will die."

Wh-what is the meaning of this! It's supposed to be the sky battle, so why is everyone involved like this?" It was Tsuna who spoke this time.

"Because the sky is the mission of the boss. The sun, lightning, storm, rain, mist, cloud. He influences all of them. He understands and accepts all of them. That is the sky's mission. In this battle, the lives of all the guardians are entrusted in the hands of the boss. That is the sky battle." Even as Tsuna complained, the woman continued speaking without pause. "There is only one way to stop the progress of the poison. That is to insert the matching ring into each guardian's wristband. Once the ring is inserted into the indentation, it will activate the mechanism to administer the death hitter's antidote stored in the wristband."

"The condition for victory in the sky battle is simply this. You must acquire all of the Vongola rings."

There was silence and then suddenly a loud crash. Assuming the battle between Xanxus and Tsuna had begun, Mio set to work herself. She could hear Hibari's shallow breathing near her but ignored it and reassembled her gun into a cane. When she finally found the tower with the ring, she collapsed the cane back into a gun and shot a poison bullet into the base of the tower. The poison sizzled and melted through the metal and with a sharp kick, the tower crumbled. She heard the ring's descent, heard it roll, and then heard the grunt as Hibari grabbed it.

She froze and then dove at him. He couldn't get that ring! If he got the antidote, there was a chance that he would beat her and she would become useless to the Varia. And if she became useless, she would be kicked out.

But it was too late. The prefect had already gotten the antidote and was rising on wobbly legs. "Herbivore" he spoke coldly, "You are not even worth my time. Leave before I change my mind and bite you to death."

Infuriated by the derogatory comment, she shot a poison bullet at the still weak prefect to slow him down. Although she wanted to fight and prove her worth, common sense forced her to turn and run away. Even if she couldn't get the cloud ring, she could get the other rings while the guardians were still incapacitated. The most competent member of the Varia who would be the most useful was Belphegor, the storm ring bearer. Having noted where everyone had gone, she immediately ran for the school building.

As she neared the third floor however, a large blast came through the wall. Through the watch in her pocket, she heard Bel and Levi get their respective rings. Gritting her teeth, she turned and raced towards the gym where the baby Mammon would be. He had wanted her help before; now would be her chance. Mammon was lying on the ground panting harshly when she shot the pole down. Making sure to grab the ring as it fell this time, she quickly inserted it into the wristwatch.

"Muu I thought I was going to die." The baby sighed and then straightened, "Now then, how should we use this girl to lure out the rest of the rings which will no doubt be coming our way?"

The door opened and Mio brought out her gun, dropping into a defensive position. "Ushishishi found Ma-mm-on" A sing song voice said. She lowered her weapons, "Belphegor-san, what about the others?"

"It's _Prince _and as for those peasants, Levi got beat by that storm brat and Lussuria's useless in his condition." Bel ticked off on his fingers, grinning insanely. "We're the only ones left." The boy walked over to Chrome, "Ahh I just want to cut you into pieces. I wonder how your blood looks like or if you'll scream beautifully."

"Don't do that" Mio said sharply.

"Hmm?" The prince turned to face her, "Does the little peasant not want me to hurt her friend?" He applied some pressure on his knives and a small cut appeared on Chrome's skin, blood welling out.

Catching whiff of the liquid, Mio said hastily, "Don't kill her. We can use her to bargain for the other rings. Right now we only have the mist ring, right? We need to get the others."

Outside she could hear voices, and she sprang into action, "Grab her and bring her over here. Mammon-san, can you cover us in an illusion?" They surprisingly did as she asked and a second later the door burst open.

"The pole…! What the hell happened to it? Where's Dokuro?"

"Over here" Bel's illusion copy grinned. "Would you like to hand over the rings you're holding? Otherwise, I'll peel the skin off her bones and kill her in the most gruesome way possible."

"Fuck you! You think we'd fall for that cheap trick?" Gokudera yelled.

"Who do you think I am? We're the assassin squad, Varia, you know? When it comes to killing" the fake slid his knife across the illusion Chrome's face, slicing into it a little. The girl whimpered, breathe coming out in slow pants. "We don't bluff."

"I don't trust you…even if we hand over the rings, you have no intention of letting Dokuro go. Isn't that right?" Gokudera replied, teeth gritted.

"It's up to you to believe me or not, but if you keep dallying, she'll die from the poison before I skin her anyway."

"No choice then." It was Yamamoto who replied, "Looks like we have no choice but to hand over the rings. Apart from the mist ring you have, Gokudera and I have the remaining rings." Even as he spoke, Gokudera was already protesting. "But, we're not accepting such a one sided deal. First, cure the girl's poison in exchange for the rain and cloud rings. Once you've done that, we will trust you and exchange the remaining rings for the girl."

"Oi, oi, do you actually know who has the upper hand here?"

"Well it's fine Bel" Mammon said, "We'll still come out even."

Yamamoto rolled the rings forward and then seemed to trip. He kicked his sword forward at the last minute and the illusion Bel started writhing in agony. Yamamoto had his sword at illusion Mammon's throat. "Now our situations are reversed."

"It's a good thing the girl created illusions" Mammon said, dropping his and coming forward. Mio let go of her illusions as well and the baby continued speaking. "From the moment you attempted to fight us, both of you have entered my world."

His illusion spread and the shield covering where they really were faded away. Bel snickered, "The peasant made a pretty realistic illusion of me." He grinned at Gokudera, "We got to know each other really well."

Gokudera stiffened, "Oi woman! You're still on their side? I thought you were friends with that Dokuro girl!"

Mio raised her head in Gokudera's direction. "Sorry, but could we have the rest of the rings now?"

Bel caressed the real Chrome's neck with a knife, "Now, our situations are reversed again. We're back at the starting point."

The multiple Mammon illusions floating all over the place chimed in unison, "Come on now, hand over the all the rings besides the rain and mist. If you don't, the girl will be skinned alive." Tentacles shot out of the illusions and wrapped around Chrome, "I'll rip her limbs off too."

The two boys were shouting at them to stop, shouting at Mio to stop and do something. She frowned, "Mammon-san, could you let me deal with them?"

The baby thought for a moment and the tentacles disappeared, "Muu since you saved me; I'll pay back the favor."

She bowed to him and then stepped forward. "You stupid bitch! Are you really going to just watch that girl die?" Gokudera shouted, beside himself with fury.

Mio bit her lip and then yelled, "Shut up and hand over the rings already! You don't seem to understand, do you? The fact that you can see Mammon-san's illusions means that you have no bargaining power whatsoever! Trying to take advantage of me is just low of you! And it proves how much you didn't give a damn about me to begin with!"

She clenched her fists and suddenly vines burst out of the ground to wrap around the two boys. Yamamoto looked calm however and he walked through the vines twisting around his body. "I knew it. You don't really want to kill us. With an illusion that weak, your heart wasn't in it, was it?"

Mio snarled angrily and pulled out her gun. She ran at the boy, "Just give me the rings! Is that so hard?"

He drew out his sword and as she fired bullet after bullet at him, he was already protecting himself with the seventh form of Shigure Soen Ryu, Shibuki Ame. "We can talk this through Kiyo-chan. You don't really want to be our enemy, do you?"

But she was no longer where she had originally been. She had mastered Xanxus's technique and in an instant had gotten behind him. She struck him with the back of her gun and he fell like a log. Her hands were around his neck and she growled, "I'm not as attached to you as you think I am, Takeshi-kun. I'm able to change sides quite easily as you've seen."

He gasped for air and replied, "You don't mean that."

Her grip tightened and as she leaned forward, her bangs fell so that he saw her eyes for the first time. They were wide open, filled with emotion. Anger, desperation, helplessness, and regret all mixed into one heartbreaking expression.

"MAXIMUM CANNON!"

The force blew apart Mammon's illusions and threw Mio off Yamamoto straight into a wall. She slid down, unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Boss!"<p>

"Tsuna!"

What were those voices? Couldn't they keep it down? She was trying to sleep.

"Looks like everyone and their dog is here to witness the birth of the new boss." Mio's eyes snapped open. That was Belphegor! What was he talking about? What had happened? One second she had been fighting Yamamoto and the next she was here. Where was here?

"Oh pride of the Vongola, grant your successor, the young blood of Vongola with great power!" Mammon said ominously.

A warm flame filled with power lit up from where Xanxus, Mammon, and Belphegor were. Xanxus started laughing, having finally accomplished his goal. "With this I will become the tenth boss of the Vongola!" His voice died as suddenly blood spurted out of cuts that had appeared all over his body. Mio could smell the blood pouring out of his wounds. "What's happening?" she demanded. No one answered her; they were all too busy staring at the scene in front of them.

"The ring…rejected…Xanxus's blood…" Tsuna said slowly.

"What do you know? What do you mean the rings have rejected his blood?" Mammon asked frantically.

Xanxus started laughing from where he was laying. "I certainly had it coming, didn't I? That's right…that old fart and I…have no blood relation whatsoever!"

There was silence as everyone took in this new information. Coughing blood, Xanxus growled, "Don't you fucking pity me! You scum!"

Squalo chose that moment to finally speak up and explain everything. As the swordsman finished his speech, Tsuna struggled to stand up. "You betrayed the ninth boss…yet he didn't kill you…even till the end, hadn't he always treated you with acceptance…? The ninth boss didn't care about bloodlines or the law. He believed in you more than anyone else. The ninth boss had always treated you as his own son…"

Mio felt cold. Was it the same for her? Had she in reality already been accepted into the Vongola family? Had she pushed it all away for some fake semblance of belonging? Was she really so idiotic? Tsuna wasn't the type of person to betray another. How could she have even thought it was possible? Tears sprang into her eyes but she forced them back. Would he be willing to take her back even now?

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! DON'T MAKE ME SICK WITH THAT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE CRAP! WHAT USE IS THAT SHIT? THE ONLY THING I WANTED WAS THE SEAT OF THE BOSS! I ONLY WANTED THOSE SCUMBAGS TO WORSHIP ME! I ONLY WANTED THEM TO PRAISE ME!" Xanxus roared, coughing and spitting blood everywhere.

"Master Xanxus, we will need to deliberate further on whether or not you are suitable for the rings." The Cervello said, approaching the man.

"Shut up! If I can't have them, nobody can! Kill them! Kill them all!"

"Is this the man you want to follow?" Gokudera muttered quietly.

She jumped in shock, but sobered immediately. "If it is, I really judged you wrongly." He then ran forward to take his place in front of Tsuna. "As if I'd let you!"

"You're all half dead already, aren't you?" Bel snickered. Noticing Hibari, he grinned, "Ooh that one too. Ushishishi this time we'll do it 1000% right. You're all going to die."

"Are you blind or something? You're two against five! Who do you think the odds are against?"

"Two against five? What are you talking about?" Mammon cut in, "You are facing an army tens of times greater than this. All fifty members of our inborn Varia squall will be joining us here very soon. They were already on their way because after our boss's victory, they were supposed to kill the rest of the people here and settle everything. These are our elite, next in battle ability only to us core members."

"W-wait a minute!" A Cervello rushed forward, "We cannot allow any outsiders to interfere in the middle of the battle!"

With a swipe of Bel's knives, she was down, "You think we care?"

The spectators of the match started clamoring to get out of the box they were watching the spectacle in. Much to their dismay however, it had already been tampered with.

"Fuck! You mean we're on our own?"

"Eh…someone…is coming…?" Chrome murmured.

The footsteps of three men alerted Mio that the squad had arrived. She tensed, unsure of what to do. "Nice timing. We've been waiting for you guys."

"Reporting sir! We're the only ones left. The Varia squad has been wiped out!"

"That guy is too strong! The man's like a demon…he'll be here soon!"

"Boujareppa!" A large whirlwind knocked the man out of the way and a new person stepped forward. A deep voice said, "Don't be mistaken Vongola. I didn't come here to help you, I came here to say thank you."

"L-Lancia-san!" Tsuna shouted, shocked.

"The strongest and most fearsome man in Northern Italy…the Lancia who murdered his entire family." Squalo's voice came from the watch.

He did _what_ and Tsuna still accepted him? But before she could even think about anything, Bel had jumped forward, ready to attack. Yamamoto slid safely in front of Tsuna and knocked away the knives that had been flung at him. Mammon started flying away but Chrome stopped him with a well placed illusion. One by one the guardians stepped forward to fight for their boss.

Lancia turned towards her, "Is she the enemy as well, Vongola?"

"Eh…? No, Kiyomizu-chan…she…" Tsuna helplessly stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"Mio isn't the enemy, Boss" Chrome said firmly from where she was standing. "She's our friend." It was the first time, she had ever called Mio by her first name. It had always been Kiyomizu-san before.

"Chrome…" Mio muttered. "I…I'm sorry…"

"It's our fault for hiding it from you Mio. Mukuro-sama is sorry too."

"Oi, do something about this, cloud guardian!" Bel hissed.

Mio stood up slowly and walked over to where Xanxus was. "Hey Boss, it's okay for me to go, right? To take your teachings and become the strongest…that's okay, right?"

Xanxus snarled, "Do whatever the hell you want. I don't give a damn anymore."

She nodded at his answer and walked over to where Yamamoto and Gokudera were standing protectively in front of Tsuna and said calmly, "Please move aside."

Yamamoto tensed, remembering their previous fight, but didn't move. Gokudera took out a handful of dynamite and growled, "Stupid woman. Don't fight their losing battle and don't make me use these on you."

Her hand was shaking fiercely but she stood firm, "Gokudera-kun, _please_ move out of the way."

"No fucking way! I'm not letting you kill the Tenth! You can still come back to our side right now! The Tenth will probably let you!"

"Can't you just listen to me for once?" she shrieked. "I never said I was going to kill Tsuna! I just need to talk to him!"

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto. Let me hear what she has to say." Tsuna said weakly. The two protested but reluctantly moved out of the way.

Mio lowered her gun and asked, "Tsuna, can I trust you?"

"Kiyomizu-chan, I still don't know what you went through that makes it so hard for you to trust people. I don't even understand why you want to be part of this crazy mafia family so badly. But I guess I do understand a little bit about belonging with a group of people who care about you. So… if you don't mind, will you rejoin the family?"

She sighed and collapsed on the ground in front of him. They all waited with bated breath for her answer. The tension left the air however when Tsuna started panicking, "Ah, no wait! You don't have to _cry_! It's okay!"

Bel dropped his knives reluctantly, "That's it for me."

"Muu Boss…I think we're done…"

"You're all useless scumbags. Shit! Damn you all! All of you, I curse you all to death!" Xanxus's voice slowly rose.

"With this, the ring contest has ended. We will now announce the overall result. Since Master Xanxus has been disqualified, the winner of the sky battle is Master Sawada Tsunayoshi. Therefore the next successor to the Vongola is Master Sawada Tsunayoshi and his six guardians." The Cervello hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, there remains the question of the position Kiyomizu Mio will take…"

Gokudera rolled his eyes, "Didn't you hear the Tenth? She's _family_."

* * *

><p>The smell of sushi covered everything and it took Mio a moment to get used to the strong scent. When she had however, she immediately made a beeline for where Gokudera was standing. As the boy turned around to face her, she shoved a box into his hands and bowed sharply. "I'm sorry for everything I did Gokudera-kun."<p>

He stared at her for a moment and she thought he was going to start lecturing her, but then asked, "What's in the box?"

Surprised, she stuttered, "A-ah, it's a cake I made. To make up for all the dinners you missed."

The boy sighed and then tugged her out of the shop. He turned to face her and then mumbled, "You're really stupid, you know?"

Indignantly, she replied, "I said I was sorry-"

He grabbed her and kissed her. She froze as sushi and nicotine flooded her senses. And then she shyly kissed back. By the time they separated, both were blushing furiously. Gokudera cleared his throat and said, "Listen, anytime you feel like the family is neglecting you or whatever, just remember that I'm here, okay?"

She nodded speechless and he lifted her bangs. A grin spread across his face when he saw the tears of happiness shining in her eyes and he murmured, "Don't ever let anyone else see what you're feeling. Only I'm allowed."

Taking her hand, he led her back into the shop where they were greeted by catcalls and cheers. She gave a long, heartfelt apology to Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Chrome for everything she had done. To her surprise, they had long forgiven her. It was a ridiculously happy feeling and Mio couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. Her question was answered when as she went to take a breath of fresh air outside, a cloth suddenly covered her mouth. She struggled but the fumes worked against her and she passed out.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Finally got to chapter 10! This is the second to last chapter of this series so look forward to the ending!

I know most people wanted Mio to end up with Mukuro, but he was meant to be more a mentor character than a lover to her. And she's known Gokudera for longer and spent more time with him. Actually, the main reason I want GokuderaXMio is because Mio searches for family and acceptance for the entire story. Gokudera did that in the beginning as well so he understands how it feels like. Mukuro doesn't want to be part of the family, so if she ended up with him, she would always be detached from the family which is not what she wants. As for the past life stuff, don't worry, that'll all be explained in the last chapter.

That's it for the Varia as well. After this, they've gone back to Italy so there's no more contact D:

Please read and review~


	11. Chapter 11: Family

A hand pulled her into a sitting position, "Little madam? Are you awake?" The hand reached for her bangs, "Someone needs to cut her hair; these bangs are ridiculous."

_Don't ever let anyone else see what you're feeling._ She jumped into action. Her hand flew up and crashed into the man's face. "Who the fuck are you?" she hissed.

"Little madam! It's all right! You're in no danger here! I apologize for kidnapping you so forcefully earlier."

"Where am I?" she demanded. "I'll decide for myself if I'm in danger or not."

"You are currently in a safe area under the protection of the Yamaguchi. Your parents requested that we bring you here."

The sentence caught her off guard and her defenses slipped for a moment. "…my…parents…?" she stammered. But in a second, she had recovered and asked harshly, "What are you talking about? My parents left me for dead years ago. Why the hell would they come back now?"

"No, little madam. Your parents had to leave to handle some business for the yakuza. But since they heard you became one of the Vongola, they decided it was time to come back for you. They are very proud of you."

She was furious. They had come back to use her since she was in the strongest mafia family now? She stood up abruptly, "Tell them that I'm going back. I don't have any desire to see them."

"I'm sorry little madam, I can't do that. You see, you are the rightful heir to the Yamaguchi."

"My parents had nothing to do with the mafia _or_ yakuza. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"…you are Kiyomizu Mio, are you not?"

Without skipping a beat, she replied, "My name is Gokudera Mio. You seem to have gotten the wrong person. Please let me go before I contact the police." This man that smelled of spices and cheap cologne and spoke smooth words couldn't be trusted. For all she knew, this was all a ploy to get her to admit who she was so that he could take advantage of her.

A door opened and she pinpointed where it was, storing it away for future reference. "Mio! It really is you! They told me they had found you and I was so happy!" The familiar voice made her blood run cold. It was really her mother.

"Madam, she says that her name is Gokudera Mio…"

The woman laughed, "Nonsense. She's just throwing a tantrum is all." She addressed Mio again, "I really am sorry for leaving you so abruptly dear. Your father and I were being chased at the time and we couldn't bring a child into such a dangerous world. But look at you! You've grown up so much! And you're so beautiful now!" A warm perfumed scent swept over her and a hand turned her face. "Although these bangs could certainly use a trim; they're covering up your beautiful eyes."

Mio slapped the hand away, "That's it…?"

"What's it darling? Was I missing something else?"

Holding back the tears that were threatening to spill over, she asked, her voice shaking, "After all these years, you _kidnap me_, and then expect a ridiculous explanation like that will make everything better?"

"Well, I don't see what else there is to explain. We did this for your safety after all. You may have not been the happiest in all the foster homes, but we made sure you well taken care of. If you'd like an apology, I could of course-"

Resentment bubbled up in the girl and she stomped her foot angrily, "No! That's not enough! You're trying to tell me that I spent five years of my life wondering what I had done wrong to make my parents abandon me so heartlessly for nothing? All the ridiculous things I've done, all the people that I've hurt; all of that was for nothing?"

"Now darling, don't you think it's time you grew out of these tantrums of yours? I don't know how it is for the mafia or your previous boss from the Vongola, but a yakuza boss must always be composed. And you are the next in line."

She smiled bitterly. She had wanted to see her parents for so long; had dreamed of something like a reunion all her life. And when it happened, all she wanted was to scream. Wiping away the tears, she straightened and said in a detached tone of voice, "I apologize madam, however your daughter can't possibly become the next boss of any yakuza group. You see, on that day you left me five years ago, I had a little accident and was left blind. As loyal as your men may be to you, I highly doubt that they would willingly follow someone who can't see. However, not to worry; I'm sure you and dear father can produce another heir." Sharply, she added, "I would like to suggest that you do not insult the next boss of the Vongola. I will not take kindly to such transgressions. If you'll excuse me." She casually walked towards the door, still wondering if it was the right choice.

A change in the air had her whirling around, her gun pointed straight at the man who had somehow gotten only a foot away from her. "Don't come after me. I won't hesitate to shoot." She was out the door a second later and trying to get her bearings.

An explosion had her turning in that direction. There was just no way. "Where is she you fuckers?" A gruff voice yelled angrily.

"Gokudera-kun!" she screamed and tackled him to the ground just as bullets whizzed by. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to get you back obviously! Tenth and the others are looking for you too!"

They had really come for her! She wanted to cry and hug the boy, but instead rolled her eyes and commented, "Causing the Vongola and the Yamaguchi to go to war like this probably isn't the best idea!"

"The Yamaguchi?"

"It's some sort of yakuza family. My…parents are the leaders…"

Before she could say anything, Gokudera grabbed her hand and turned her to face him. "Stay with us. I know it's your family and I know it's selfish, but stay with me."

Any doubts she had left her immediately at the boy's words. This was someone she could trust her life and heart with. Smiling, she clutched his hand tightly and replied, "Okay."

The boy cursed in Italian under his breath as more bullets flew at them. "We have to get out of here!"

"You won't be going anywhere unfortunately." A man's voice came from behind them. "Mio, come here. Your mother already explained everything to you, didn't she?"

She straightened and turned to face the man, "I'm not staying here. I am not going to become a part of the Yamaguchi."

"Darling! I was so worried when I heard the explosions! Are you all right?" The woman rushed towards her.

A gunshot stopped her in her tracks. Mio held the gun up. "I'm not joining your family. I'm part of the Vongola."

"You're the heir to the Yamaguchi!" Her father said angrily. "It's time to act your age and accept your responsibilities, young lady."

All the self restraint Mio was using disappeared in an instant, "ACT MY AGE? I'M 13 YEARS OLD! YOU ABANDONED ME WHEN I WAS EIGHT! I HAD TO LIVE ON MY OWN EVEN THOUGH I WAS BLIND! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALTZ BACK INTO MY LIFE LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED AND TELL ME TO ACT MY AGE? DON'T YOU FUCKING EVEN TRY!"

"Darling, I know you're hurt, but it was for your own good!"

"You don't know a thing." It was Gokudera who spoke this time. "You left her fucking hurt all by herself. Do you know how scarred she is? How she doesn't trust anyone? How even after weeks of knowing her, she is still willing to point a gun at someone just because she wants to find a place where she belongs to?"

"I don't believe I was talking to you, young man. You have no business here."

"He has more business with me than you do." Mio snarled.

"Oh come now, darling. Don't you want to be with your family? We missed you; did you not miss us?"

Pillars of fire exploded from the ground, and the world around them started crumbling. "You _dare_ use that word against me? What do you know of family?"

"Darling! What are you doing? Stop! Can't you see that we did it because we love you?" She ignored the voices around her and continued to destroy everything with her illusions. A single sentence caught her attention however. "This is all your fault isn't it? You turned my daughter against us!"

A gunshot; a bullet was speeding towards Gokudera who didn't have time to duck. A wall of vines rose up in front of the boy, protecting him and Mio roared, "I WILL FUCKING END YOU!"

The world around them exploded in a pit of fire and death. And suddenly the urge to see overwhelmed her. She wanted to take one last look at the two adults before they disappeared from her life permanently. She needed to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them that she didn't need them anymore. There was a faint voice in her head, "_All you need is a simple adjustment in your eyes. Here, focus your power and I will guide you."_

"Thank you Mukuro" she murmured. Focusing, she blinked once. Her eyes opened and the world around her was revealed. Her anger had fueled her power, allowing her to do what Mukuro used to do for her. She stared impassively across at her parents. They were still screaming, their eyes fixed on her. She glared at them and then said, "I spent the past five years of my life tortured by questions. Why did you leave me? What did I do wrong? I see now that it wasn't my fault. Rather, it was because you simply view me as one of your pawns." She laughed bitterly, "Am I playing into your plans well, mother, father?"

Her mother screamed and held out her hand one last time for her. She stared at it coldly and a pillar of fire erupted in front of her. She watched as the two people she had called her parents, scrambled away from the destruction. As they left, her anger left her abruptly and the illusions around them disappeared.

Turning away, she met Gokudera's eyes. They were wide with shock but also proud. She looked him over, rubbing away the tears that were pooling into her eyes. Silver hair, green eyes. He was beautiful. She reached for his hand and said, "This is kind of an awkward time to say this, but has anyone told you that you're really good looking?"

The boy looked at her, flipped up her bangs, and saw the eyes that were staring straight back at him. "You can see me?" he whispered.

She smiled widely, "It's ironic, isn't it? That I lost and gained my sight because of my parents."

He rolled his eyes, grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss.

"Herbivore, such blatant displays of affection are against the rules. If you don't desist at once, I will bite you to death."

Mio whirled around to see Hibari Kyouya for the first time. Black hair, cold eyes, and the Namimori school uniform. A red disciplinary arm band was the most colorful thing on him. She stared at him for a moment and then grinned, "You look _exactly_ like I thought you would."

He glanced at her briefly, "You can see again herbivore?"

She shrugged, "For now at least. I had some important business to take care of. I don't think I can keep up this illusion all the time though. And I don't really need to see anyways." She suddenly commented, "I didn't think you would care, Hibari-san."

"Herbivore, you will report your new condition to Kusakabe. Namimori's discipline will be upheld."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course."

"Kiyomizu-chan!"

"Kiyo-chan! You're okay!"

"Ohh she looks extremely okay!"

"Mio!"

The voices came from Tsuna, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Chrome. She turned to greet them happily. For the first time in five years, she felt at complete peace with herself. Her family was here for her.

* * *

><p>They were walking to school, hand in hand, when Gokudera brought it up casually. "Is that Mukuro bastard still talking to you all the time?"<p>

Surprised, she responded, "He's still giving me lessons on how to improve my illusions. He said that after I confronted my parents and got rid of that 'complex' as he put it, my power level upped dramatically. But of course, I still have room for improvement."

"Che. So he can be useful too."

"Gokudera-kun, are you…jealous? Of Mukuro?" She laughed incredulously.

"Why the hell would I be?" he replied, clearly flustered. Changing the subject, he asked, "But don't you think it's weird for him to help the hated mafia so readily? That asshole is supposed to hate us, remember?"

She frowned, "There is a reason. Something I can't tell you. It…happened in the past and I guess you could say; he can't really treat me the same as just anyone else."

He looked at her curiously but she had gone silent so he didn't push the issue any further.

Mio smiled sadly to herself. There was no way she could tell him that her memories of her past life had come back in bits and pieces. She wasn't sure when or how it had happened, but one day she had woken up and just known things that hadn't been a part of her memory up until that point. She had even remembered Mukuro's attempt to repress the rising memories.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hime, I love you." The man said, his gaze soft and a smile on his lips.<em>

"_I love you too, _." She replied happily. Sitting up, she said, "I've decided to talk to father. I want to be able to be with you openly."_

"_You can't!" He grabbed her shoulders, "Hime, if you tell him, he'll separate us for sure! I'm a lowly servant and you're a princess! There's no way he would approve!"_

"_I'm going to make him recognize our relationship no matter what" she replied stubbornly. "It's okay _. Father has never denied me anything I really wanted before. And I'm truly serious this time."_

_Such naïve thoughts had once been hers. Unable to deter the girl from the idea, the young man had helplessly approved of the plan_

"_We'll always be together, won't we _?"_

_He nodded, smiling sadly, "Yes, we will. _

_That had been years before. Her father had denied her request harshly. When she had threatened to elope, he had had the young man brought before her and executed on the spot for treason. _

_She had been a requirement of a peace treaty. In order to save her kingdom, she would be married off to a foreign prince. She had been prepared to go without protest; for what was there to protest? The man she loved was gone from this world due to her naivety. She had no right to complain about her fate. But that didn't prevent thoughts of the young man from haunting her dreams. Bittersweet memories that left her heart aching and her cheeks wet when she woke in the morning._

"_Father! Please! Don't do this! He's done nothing wrong!" She was dragged, screaming and kicking away from the man she loved._

"_This mere servant dared entertain thoughts of loving my daughter? He has done more than enough to be punished! Guards! Prepare him for execution!"_

"_No! Father! Please!" She sobbed. "Don't kill him!"_

_But the king ignored and chose instead to address the man kneeling before him. "Any last words, servant?"_

_The man raised his head slowly and smiled in the girl's direction, "Live on until you are old and wrinkled, my love."_

"_I promise" she nodded, tears pouring down her face. Her hands were outstretched as if to hold him one last time. Enraged, the king raised his hand. Her voice rose in a scream and the guard's sword came down in a sharp arc. Her lover's head flew into the air. There was silence. _

_Ah…She had dreamed about it so many times she couldn't even remember what had really happened. She preferred to believe that he had declared his love for her regardless of the situation. Sometimes the man would deny loving her and in a fit of rage, she herself would kill him. Other times, he wouldn't say anything and would instead dive for the king in an attempt on his life. The only constant in all of her dreams was the man's manner of death: be it by guard, king, or herself, she witnessed his decapitation over and over._

_So when she the prince she was supposed to marry decided that ravaging and pillaging the kingdom was more appealing, she didn't try very hard to live. The only thing she couldn't let go was the picture and that too disappeared along with her life in a blaze of flames._

* * *

><p>Mio made her way to Kokuyo Land. She had to know for sure if the memories were really of Mukuro. The man seemed to have been dwelling in her mind long enough to know her thoughts however, because he was waiting for her when she arrived. With a mocking bow, he asked, "What can I do for you today, principessa?"<p>

"Mukuro, I won't waste time with any pleasantries. I came here to ask you if those memories of mine are real or not." She hesitated a little, "Whether if in a past life, we were…in love or not."

He smiled, "Yes, they're true. You told your father about our relationship. He didn't approve, and in an attempt to save my life, I declared that I wasn't in love with you. Your father then had me executed regardless."

"Wha-" She stammered, "Is that what happened…?"

"Kufufu your own memories are most likely altered due to the sheer shock of the situation. But it is in fact true. I betrayed you in a previous life where we were very much in love." He spoke airily, "Not that this is a big deal. I have lived numerous lives, mated with numerous others, and fallen in loves many times."

"Then why did you choose to protect me from the truth?"

He didn't have an answer to that. And knowing she had caught him in his own bluff, she continued, "You could have let me find out and deal with the agony of the situation by myself. Instead, you sealed my memories away so that I could be with Gokudera-kun? Why did you do that?"

"Are you not content with your current situation, principessa? Perhaps the fierce-tempered Italian boy isn't enough for you? In that case, simply speak the words and I will sweep you off your feet."

"Stop changing the subject Mukuro! I want to know why!"

The boy was suddenly too close for comfort, his eyes boring into hers. "And if I told you that I was in fact still in love with you; that I refused to give you to the bomber. What would you do then? No, even I learn from my mistakes, principessa. Fate may have given us a chance to meet again, but that does not mean we were destined for one another." He smiled bitterly, "Or perhaps we were and fate decided to play a trick on us. Who really knows?"

Mio leaned forward hesitantly, but then changed her mind and pulled back. She closed her eyes and said, "To be honest, I thought of you as more of a mentor and an older brother, so these memories are sort of disconcerting." She shook her head and continued, "You're a good person Mukuro. A good teacher and I'm sure you were a good lover. So let's start over. Not as princess and servant, but as two equals. Friends. I'm Kiyomizu Mio." She held out her hand, "And you are?"

He chuckled and grasped her hand firmly, "Rokudo Mukuro."

"Then I'll call you Mukuro and you call me Mio. No more of this princess stuff."

He bowed and as she turned to leave, she called to him, "Also, thank you. But I'll have to formally decline the offer of being in your family. As such, I will be rejecting any offers of help for my eyes. I was able to fix them with your help once and that's more than enough proof that I'll be able to do it on my own one day." She paused for a moment and then asked, "One last question. In all of my memories, any time I mentioned your name, it sounded blurry. What was it?"

He sighed, "It was Pina. My parents were ready for a girl and couldn't be bothered to choose another name."

A laugh bubbled to her lips and she flashed him a breathtaking smile before running out of the amusement park, to where no doubt, Gokudera would be waiting for her. Mukuro watched her leave with a melancholy expression on his face. "Perhaps in another life then…Mio." He suddenly smirked and disappeared into mist.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

It's finally done! I decided not to carry it into the future arc simply because Mio has already resolved her issues and there was no need to keep it going! Yes, she ends up with Gokudera. I'm sorry MukuroXMio lovers!

I feel like it was a bit rushed but I'm content enough with this ending so that's that. ^_^

A side note: Pina means pineapple in Italian. :D I just couldn't resist :P

Thank you everyone who has stuck with me throughout this entire story! Your support meant a lot to me and really helped me keep writing! Thank you for reading this story! And look forward to my next one!

Please read and review~


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